Pokémon a new legend unfolds
by Chris Arsajan
Summary: Like many adventure stories this one features a hero, Sarachi, who is destined to save the world. In the first chapter of our epic we are introduced to our hero who is on his way home. We also get a bit acquainted with this world of Pokémon. Thought you knew everything? Prepare to be surprised. Sarachi's world is not so similar to the one we remember from the screen.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 the journey that almost never happened

"Ticket and passport please". Sarachi handed his documents to one of the airport personnel. "In order, you may proceed to the check in area." Since his arrival at the airport his thoughts had been drifting back to his best friend Tageki, the years of friendship they had shared, the end of his life as a student and last but certainly not least the conversation he had with Tageki while he was packing for his journey home. Home being a large farm between Fortree city and Crossgate Town in the Hoenn region where his parents and grandfather lived. The remainder of his family, his uncles, aunts and cousins, lived in Fortree city or neighbouring towns. About two months before the end of the academic year at … University college, a very prestigious University in Kalos, he and his cousin Alessa had received summons that they were expected to return home at their earliest convenience. Their parents had called them with grave news. Their grandfather was grievously ill and the entire family was expected to be at the family house; the Hayashi farm near Crossgate town as he was not expected to live more than another month. As he had always been close to his grandfather he had finished his academic career rather hurriedly. He had defended his thesis successfully and had booked the first available flight home. His cousin had to take a flight about a week later; being the family genius her academic career had been slightly busier. But back to the conversation, what had been so strange about it? Well, Sarachi had never seen his friend so serious. It seemed his friend had never taken anything serious in his life. He always seemed to pass his exams only just. He never talked about the future in a serious way, always joking about how he planned to chase some dream or other. He had followed parts of nearly every available program there was, had never stuck to any curriculum and he had not finished any of the programs he had entered. It seemed like he had no interest in a future at all. It seemed as if he did not realize that continuing on his path would lead to a future without a degree, which in their world usually meant living a life full of menial jobs. It seemed at times as if he just didn't care. It was one of the things they never discussed, just as Tageki never asked him why he seemed so deadly serious about everything he did. They had accepted each other the way they were ever since a fateful day had brought them together. There was one exception to the rule of Tageki's goofing around. The only time he had ever seen Tageki get serious was at Historic Western Martial Arts. Whenever they were training together or sparring against other teams he became serious and focussed. It was the one time when he displayed a form of brilliance. Sarachi liked to think that that was one of the few moments Tageki was completely himself.

When Sarachi reached the security checks his thoughts strayed back to what he had considered to be his final moments at Uni. He barely registered the presence of the growlithe, manectric, furfrou and a singular lucario who were part of an impressive security task force, filled as his mind was with images of a not so distant past. In the present he participated in the mind numbing and annoying steps of the security check. Taking of shoes and belt, jewelry, pokeballs, and removing electronics from his modest backpack.

His mind was elsewhere though, and at that moment of time he was packing his suitcase, cramming clothes and the few possessions he found useful in it. Had he not digitized almost an entire library, as his friend often teased him, the trunk would have been filled with books. Instead he had succeeded in fitting all his training gear inside. His extra padded fencing clothes, mask, gauntlets and most important of all, his shinai, his longsword and his short swords. He wanted to show his grandfather all the new techniques he had added to his already large arsenal of kendo and kenjutsu techniques. His grandfather, the first sensei he had had would certainly find it interesting.

As he was busy packing he hadn't noticed his friend coming in. "So you are leaving tomorrow huh? I guess the days just flew by, but I wish they hadn't Sarachi. Still, to have you leaving even before the official end of the academic year… I wish your grandfather hadn't gotten ill. Then I would have had more time to…". "I know Tageki. Still, we have had great times together. Besides you never wanted to plan, you know that." "I know that, Sarachi!" Tageki actually seemed upset. His tone had changed. "I just figured I had more time to prepare, so I could tell you …, show you…". Tageki looked around as if searching for a solution that eluded him before he looked down as if he was struggling internally. "What is it, Tageki?" He had only ever seen his friend serious as they discussed battle plans together for the "Competition of Blades", and even then he never looked this serious. And there was something else Sarachi realised. He had never seen his friend reaching for words, nor had he seen his friend as distraught. As if he had come to a decision Tageki raised his head and he spoke with a determined look in his eyes. "Please promise me something Sarachi. I don't have the time now to explain fully so, on our friendship, please promise me one thing." Taken aback and a little scared Sarachi answered, "if it is within my power to keep it I will. Name it, friend." Seeming slightly relieved his friend replied thoughtfully. "I know you have to grieve for your grandfather when he … passes. I also know that you have a plan for the future. You were always so focused on whatever you did. I know I always avoided the subject, but I need to tell you about my plan for the future, because … I want you to be a part of it. I don't have the time to explain everything right now, so promise me that, when you are done grieving, you'll meet me in … and I'll explain everything then."

He had given his word. What else could he have done. He owed Tageki that much. After all they had been through together. He still remembered the day they had met.

When they both had barely started their junior years, each in another international student dormitory, they both felt out of place. Most students tend to band together in groups of the same country or region. After that they looked at shared interests to form closer friendships. Sarachi and Tageki were, each for their own reasons, different and had remained without something resembling a close friendship after the 'Week of Welcoming' was over. However, at the end they had both decided to join the same martial arts club, the prestigious 'Academy for Historic Western Martial Arts'. To have something of a social life besides his studies Sarachi had decided to join as soon as he saw them sparring during the demonstration days of the Week of Welcoming. He had enjoyed his grandfather's tutelage in Kenjutsu and Kendo and was genuinely good at it. This had opened him up to many other martial arts and that's why he was immediately fascinated by the western sword fighting techniques when he saw the demonstration of AHWMA. He had decided to enlist immediately.

He still viewed the first training session as a turning point in his life. He still remembered the entire speech the head coach had given them. "All right all you newbies, listen up! For those who are merely here to learn a few cool stunts in order to look cool waving around a sword, I advise you to leave now; there are video's online for that kind of hobbyists. This club is about dedicating a significant portion of your time to the historic western martial arts. If you are not prepared to invest hours upon hours into training and study; if you are unwilling to mould your body, sharpen your mind and hone your skills until you reach your full potential, you should reconsider joining this club. You have the chance to back out now. I'll give you a minute." Some students left, until there were only about two dozen left. "All right, those who decided to stay split up. Odd-numbered pupils stand on the left side of the hall, even numbered on the opposite side. Take a good look at the person standing in front of you. Take in his built. Notice his demeanour and posture. Look him, or her, in the eyes. Approach each other and introduce yourself." We shook hands and talked simultaneously: "Sarachi" "Tageki". "Congratulations! You have just met your partner in combat. Outside from the plenary sessions during which you receive coaching together, you will train, study and spar as a duo. Learn each-others' strengths and weaknesses and learn how to complement them, because our yearly competitive league the 'Competition of Blades' is fought in two vs two battles. Your ranking in the club depends on how well you do during the Blades. Do well enough and you become part of the club's elite and you may be selected to uphold the Academy's honour while competing against other clubs. Now, everybody back in single file. We will commence with our training."

A faint smile touched Sarachi's lips while happy memories of the following years flew through his head. In the meantime he had made it to the last security check. A strict looking woman behind a desk gestured him to come forward. There was a Meowstic lounging on the desk, when he came closer though it regarded him and seemed to judge him positively. "So, young man, what is the purpose of your journey? Business or pleasure?" "Neither, answered Sarachi." The woman shot him a questioning look. "Well, I'm going back home, which would be pleasurable I guess. It's just that the circumstances are not." The security officer, Claire according to her nametag, and her Meowstic scrutinized him. "Care to elaborate?" Sarachi responded in a grave tone. "My grandfather is terminally ill." The expression on the Claire's face somewhat softened. "I see … do you bring any Pokémon with you on the flight?" Sarachi answered with an affirmative. "All right, well if that is the case you may let your Pokémon walk around with you after this check, unless its threat level is above 2. In that case you will have to check in your Pokémon now. If it is lower you may check in upon boarding." Claire pointed towards a poster that showed various Pokémon and their threat levels. "Please let us scan your pokéballs for an assessment." Sarachi handed over Sabre's pokéball. Claire placed the pokéball in a device connected to a screen. A few lights briefly flashed and data flashed across the screen while computerized voice summarised. "Purrloin, no registered battle experience; relatively low level, companion Pokémon." "Allright, no other Pokémon, Sarachi?" As Claire asked the question her eyes drifted towards her Meowstic. Sarachi replied with a negative and after the Meowstic nodded solemnly she smiled slightly. "Thank you for your cooperation. Here is your Pokémon, have a safe flight." Claire stamped his boarding pass and passport. The print indicated he had a Pokémon with a threat level of two. "Thank you madam"

Sarachi passed into a large hallway and scanned his ticket and nearby directions navigating the route he had to take to get to his gate. As soon as he had determined where to go he took out his pokéball and released his Purrloin. Sabre appeared with a "purrrloin" and looked expectantly at Sarachi. "Well Sabre, we're at the airport. We passed all security checks and you may walk around with me until we have to board the plane. Want to keep me company?" Sabre answered with a 'purrr' and rubbed affectionately against his legs. Allright, but don't wander too much, we don't want to lose one another. The plane will start boarding in about half an hour."

Sarachi browsed a few duty-free gift shops and bought a few small gifts for his close relatives as he and Sabre made their way to their boarding gate. When they reached it there were still 15 minutes left until the boarding process would start and Sarachi was wondering how to spend it, as he looked around the boarding area. It was quite a large flight they happened to be on and the departure hall was crowded. As Sarachi looked around for a place to sit Sabre suddenly started demanding attention. She jumped in front of him and pawed at his leg while voicing her enthusiasm. Sarachi looked down at his companion. "What is it Sabre?" Sabre walked in a direction where big screens showed an elite Pokémon duel. "Well spotted girl. I wonder who is battling?" Sarachi and Sabre actively followed the elite battle tournaments. Sabre seemed to enjoy them as much as he did. As he approached the screens he saw that a lot of teens and kids with Pokémon had formed a crowd there. They were chatting excitedly. "Wow, did you see that?! That dodge of Draco's Salamance was sick man! Right in front of Crio's Golem." "I bet Draco will win this year". "No way, he still needs to pass Hanibal. His strategic offense is unstoppable." "Well my bet is on Ghon Zhao. His defence is impenetrable." Sarachi was amused by the reaction of the teens. To many the elite battle style was just a six-on-six brawl where the trainer with the last Pokémon left standing wins. Draco was one of the few trainers who employed an unorthodox battle style, where other trainers employed tactics that fit the most obvious way to win an arena battle. Draco was the second or third trainer to date that adopted a different method. He was fairly new to the scene, this being his second or third season in the elite league and thus far he had not been consistently successful. The whole point of the elite battle was not a six-on-six, but a seven-on-seven battle where the trainers fought alongside of their Pokémon. A team could win by knocking out the entire Pokémon team or by knocking out the trainer leading the team who was wearing a battle suit. 95% of all participating teams thus far all went for the brawl win. Draco always went for the trainer knockout. It was a risky and often aggressive approach that required a lot of skill. As Sarachi and Sabre were watching the screen Draco and his team had through careful manoeuvring managed to corner the opposing trainer. Sarachi cheered. "Yes, another trainer knockout!" Sabre jumped into his arms and climbed to his shoulders. Several teens turned their head, smiled and cheered with him. Elite trainers that went for the trainer knockout were secretly admired. They were not consistently successful though and never seemed to reach the top ranks. Yet they embodied every kid's dream. They were the heroes who risked all by fighting alongside their Pokémon. This was a sharp contrast with those who hid in their defensive suits whilst yelling commands to their Pokémon as if they were their servants.

Suddenly a voice rang through the departure hall: "Flight 916SG is ready for departure! Can the following passengers please board the aircraft? If you are not here within ten minutes we will proceed to off-load your luggage and we will leave without you. Hyashi Sarachi, Ndoki Kouboue and Kenway Kirsten. Hyashi Sarachi, Ndoki Kouboue and Kenway Kirsten." "Oh crap! Sabre, time to run girl." As he ran for the boarding gate he took out his only pokéball. "I'll have to check you in Sabre, but I promise that as soon as we land you can walk around again." "purrrloin" Sabre responded and she nuzzled him. "Well, see you soon. Return." Sarachi took off to come to a slipping stop in front of the check-in desk. "Sarachi Hayashi here! I need to check in my Purrloin Sabre miss." He held out his pokéball and passport at the same time. The attendant at the gate smiled, clearly amused by his sprint to the boarding gate. "So, young man, didn't want to miss your flight, huh? Well, place the pokéball in the check-in slot and scan your passport." After Sarachi had done so, a ticket came out that noted his Pokémon data and personal info. "Very well, now go on! Have a pleasant flight." "Thank you, miss." "Miss?" the woman started laughing. "It's madam, but thank you!" The woman was still chuckling softly as Sarachi ran through the boarding bridge, excited to finally be on his way home.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 A peculiar dream

After re-watching all of Draco's most interesting matches on the flight's entertainment system and dinner Sarachi decided to rest his weary eyes. He put on some music and before he had realised it he started drifting off. He was standing in a field in a hilly countryside that was surrounded by numerous trees. Roads led east and west. He recognised the place. He had grown up there. However the sight looked different from what he remembered. It still felt familiar though. It was how he envisioned the farm to look after he had implemented his dreams for the place. He looked on with pride as he walked through orchards, and fields with crops. A larger community had formed and Pokémon and humans worked side by side and coexisted harmoniously in the environment they shared. Suddenly he heard a deep voice that said, "Yes young one, this is the future you will build one day. But another journey awaits you before you can start working towards its realisation."

"What do you mean? Who are you?" Sarachi was puzzled.

A deep chuckle reverberated through his very being. And the voice spoke again, "Come to me Sarachi. I have a mission for you." All of a sudden he was soaring through the air. As Sarachi wondered how he had gotten there he saw the fields, where he had stood not a moment ago, passing by beneath him as he sped up. The landscape changed. He saw forests and mountains before he reached the ocean. He passed the vast body of water in mere seconds before once again reaching land. He kept flying, passing several countries and many cities. The peaceful harmonious scene had been left behind though. Everywhere he saw pollution; in the air, on the ground and in the water. He noticed poisonous gasses in the air, islands of waste in the seas and oceans and mountains of waste in the countryside surrounding cities. The voice continued, "Take a good look child and see what your kind has done to the planet and the fellow inhabitants of the planet, my children." And Sarachi saw. Pokémon everywhere were becoming sick. Pokémon were driven from their habitat and put in reservations to 'preserve' their species. It was sickening to watch. The remainder was enslaved to work in various industries and to battle in the competitions of strength. After seeing these terrible sights Sarachi approached a mountain that dwarfed all others he had seen. The sky darkened and a single light expanded until he saw… Arceus. And the voice spoke on, "I have never objected to the battling of the elder days, young one. In these days however my children were accepted partners. Ash Ketchum, his friends and their kin lived by the ancient rules and challenged organisations that broke those rules and threatened the balance. Those days are gone however, and your kind has begun to enslave the world and my children. I need new champions to restore balance and I have decided that you will be one of them. You will inspire as my former champions have. And once your actions and exploits have become a beacon and others follow your path you will find that the life you saw earlier in your dream is quite easy to achieve."

Sarachi replied, "But how can I become your champion, o Great One? My place is with my family. I need to help them revolutionise the farm and the family business."

Arceus did not agree, saying, "They will not need you for quite some time little one and the world is not ready for your views. As for how you will become my champion … it is quite simple really. Like Ash Ketchum you will undertake a Pokémon journey and you will battle your way to what you silly humans call the 'elite competition'. However instead of hiding behind your Pokémon the way the upstarts these days do, you shall battle alongside your team. Unlike Draco though, you will have to succeed. You will become the best trainer because of your compassion for your team members and your strategic and physical combat prowess. However, many trials lay before you and those in control will not stand for the message you must deliver to the world. They will try to foil your efforts and at times they may succeed. But don't worry. You will not be alone in your quest. You will have comrades. Now … awaken my champion! And remember, if you do not find a way. If you fail like Draco has, the world as you know it will end. For then I will give all the Primal Forces of the world free reign to rage and then I will start this world anew. Awake my champion and remember."

Sarachi slowly started to wake up. Wow, that was a strange dream. He laughed inwardly. When he was young he always dreamed about undertaking some grand quest like this one. He had often fantasised about being a revered and accomplished Pokémon trainer. Apparently he could still dream. Not that his dream would come true. It would be something though. He grinned. Sarachi, champion of Arceus and saviour of the world. It was good enough for a novel. He started laughing. He couldn't wait to tell his grandfather and Tageki. Suddenly the voice of one of the stewardesses made an announcement, "Ladies and gentleman, please straighten your seats, fasten your seatbelts and fold in the tables in front of you, we will start our descent momentarily. Soon we shall land at Mauville airport. The time is 10:15 and with a temperature of 20 °C, the South-west wind blowing and a clear sky it promises to be a beautiful day. For those who live in the Hoenn region I say welcome home and to all who are visiting I wish you a pleasant stay." After the plane had landed Sarachi was glad to discover that this time customs hardly took any time at all. The burly customs agent that checked the luggage as it went through the scanners was visibly surprised to see his sparring kit in his trunk, but he made no comment. Apparently the Medicham acting as a psyche evaluator did not notice anything abnormal. After the baggage claim and customs check had taken place Sarachi was allowed to pick up Sabre at an office. The young woman at the desk smiled at him saying, "So you're finally back Sarachi. Terrible circumstances of course, but you made it in time."

It took Sarachi a moment to recognise the young woman. When he did he smiled as he replied, "You work here now, Hina? Summer job?"

"Yep, my uncle did a good word for me and the pay is pretty good. Your cousin told me you'd be back today. She said that I should be on the lookout for you. Well I won't keep you. After all, your relatives are waiting. Bye!"

"See you around Hina! Say hi to your brother for me."

"Sure thing, he'll probably want to see you. You know, we should get the gang together again sometime."

"Sure thing, as soon as … well you know."

"I know, I'm sorry Sarachi. I know you were close to your grandfather. Stay in touch you hear!"

"I will."

A soon as Sarachi was out of the office he let out Sabre. "Well girl, we made it. Wanna ride on the trunk?" Sabre jumped on immediately and together they set hurried to the hall of arrivals. "I wonder who has come to pick me up", Sarachi wondered out loud. "Well, we'll see soon enough, right Sabre?"

"purr, purloin!" Sabre seemed to agree and together they walked into the hall of arrivals.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Journeys home

"There he is mom! Sarachi over here!" Before he had time to adjust his eyes to the sunlight that came pouring in through the large windows of the hall of arrivals, he was jumped by two teenagers. He became entangled in a ball of limbs.

"Moira, mmph, Grace. Come on girls let me up."

"Why don't you make us?"

Sarachi laughed, "last chance girls. Be warned I'm a fearsome warrior now."

"Pff, hear that sis?" "Sure do Moira. Let him try."

"You had your chance lassies." A few moments of wrestling and some undignified squeals later Sarachi roared triumphantly. "Aha! King of the ring and still undefeated champion. Do you yield?" He had both his assailants secured in a lock.

"Never!" the girls started squirming. Sarachi started tickling Grace.

"Give up Grace, you know you can't win."

"Ne…ver", Grace was able to get out in between a fit of laughter. She renewed her struggle to get loose, but Sarachi did not break his hold. Soon she was completely out of breath. "Ok. Ok! Moira, stop attacking", she panted. "He wins this round." The girls stopped and Sarachi let them go.

"Well, are you quite finished?" said the voice that belonged to his aunt. Her tone was disproving, but Sarachi could still detect a hint of mirth as well. "Really, Grace, Moira aren't you getting a bit too old for this? Must you assault your cousins every time you see them?"

Sarachi laughed heartily and said, "It's all right aunt Kathryn, I don't mind."

"I know you don't Sarachi, but it's quite undignified for young ladies to roughhouse with boys in public." While they got up Grace and Moira managed to look somewhat ashamed. The smiles quickly won out though. Suddenly aunt Kathryn started laughing. "Really, you two are incorrigible. And what do you think of this Sabre? Seeing your trainer get attacked by his wild cousins?" Sabre seemed to look slightly disproving while she perched on top of the large trunk on the trolley. Sarachi grinned.

"Oh, I know you wanted to join in on the fun Sabre." Suddenly Sabre launched herself at Sarachi and while he spun around she raced along his torso, his left arm and jumped on top of his head. Grace and Moira looked surprised.

"Wow, did you teach her that?"

"Ha, Sabre knows all kinds of cool manoeuvres. If you two behave I might show you later."

Kathryn laughed and said, "Well played Sarachi. Now let me get a good look at you. My; how you've grown nephew. It seems so long ago that we saw you in person for the last time. I'm sure your parents will be glad to have you back home. On that note, why don't we get to the car? We still have a ways to go you know and I'm sure Sarachi would like to be home as soon as possible. So, how about it? We can catch up while we're on the road. No reason to hang around here."

A few hours of driving on highways passed nearly unnoticed while Sarachi told about his time in Kalos at the academy. When he went into details about his final thesis project the girls started losing attention and they started chatting amongst themselves.

"So you theorized that by setting up Agriculture in such a way that it is in balance with the surrounding habitat, plagues and sicknesses of the crops can be minimized while the habitats of Pokémon remain undisturbed? And that productivity would actually increase significantly as well? Interesting. And were your findings conclusive?"

"My simulation proved me right, but most people at the defensive were highly sceptical. They believed efficiency losses would be too high. Moreover they believed that the Pokémon of the habitat would utilize the crops and harvests would be lost. Still the theory and defending it well got me a good grade."

"And you believe in this concept, don't you?"

"Completely!"

"Well then, prove them wrong."

"I plan to do so, but first I need to convince my pop and gramps and Xuyon as well."

"Hmmph, well I hope they see sense. Some revolutionizing has been long overdue. But moving on to another topic. I heard from my dear Alessa how you've helped her. I thank you for that. She may very well be the most intelligent student that academy has seen in decades, but she's always had a tough time making friends. And as she is very secretive and prone to isolating herself when she feels misunderstood I was worried when she announced that she wanted to go to Kalos to study at the prestigious University of Avignon. But you were there for her and thanks to you she even made a few friends."

"You know I would do anything for those I love aunt Kathryn."

"I know you would, you've got a big heart Sarachi."

Nearly unnoticed by Sarachi the landscape sped by and had started to change. Before he knew it they were in the rural countryside. As he started paying attention to the landscape he started to notice the progress they had made and if he remembered correctly they would soon be in the province of Crossgate and Rubello town and Fortree city. They would arrive in the environment of his birth and the countryside he still holds dear. Fairly quick after the change in scenery they reached the outskirts of Rubello town where Kathryn and her family lived. "Well, we made good time Sarachi. I forgot to ask you, what are your plans for the rest of the day? Do you wish to stay with us until Alessa arrives?"

"You know I'd love to aunt Kathryn, but home beckons. I think I'll take the bus home from Rubello town."

"Are you sure dear? I'm sure your parents and grandfather will understand if you stayed with us for a while. After all you have been traveling for nearly a full day now."

"I'm sure. I've been away from home long enough and I want to see grandpa as soon as possible."

"I understand…"

"Mom, can Moira and I go with him and join dad?"

"Why? Don't you want to welcome your sister home?"

"You know she wouldn't care either way mom," said Moira softly. At this comment Kathryn looked at her daughters reproachfully and a little shocked.

"You know that's not true." Moira looked a bit sad and wistful.

"Maybe…,but we want to go and see grandpa too."

"Especially since we don't know how long he has left," Grace added with a worried look on her face.

"All right girls. It's fine by me if Sarachi doesn't mind going by our house so you girls can pick up some clothes and such." As she spoke Kathryn looked at Sarachi.

"I don't mind. As long as they hurry up, otherwise we might miss the last shuttle bus of Crossgate town and then we'd have a long walk ahead of us." He winked towards his aunt.

"Come on Sarachi, you know we'd never take that long!" the girls exclaimed in unison.

Nearly an hour after the company arrived at Katryn's house the girls were ready to depart. It wasn't long after that Sarachi and his cousins waved Kathryn goodbye as they stepped on the bus. As soon as they reached their seats the cousins started to interrogate Sarachi firing questions in turn. "How is life as a university student?"

"Did you go to many parties?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Sarachi answered all questions amiably and as thorough as he was comfortable with. Then, he took the initiative.

"Ok, now it's my turn. Tell me about your final year and your plans for the future starting with … Grace"

"Well you know I'm no scholar Sarachi. I'm not like you or Alessa. So my final year was ok, but I'm glad that it's over. Some of the exams were really tough especially since I did not want to give up on the track and swimming teams. But I managed to pass even if I had to retake some of the exams. Still, it paid off, cause you know what…"

"We won!" Moira jumped in enthusiastically and immediately shot a guilty look at her sister who looked a bit annoyed at having her thunder stolen. Sarachi noticed and reacted quickly.

"Wow! Congrats ladies. I am impressed. But what do you plan to do after school. Planning on becoming an athlete?" He grinned. Grace answered the question first.

"I think you know Sarachi. I'm going on a Pokémon journey. You're looking at the first lady of the family who will reach the elite league! You'll see!" Saarchi smiled. Being the best trainer had been his dream in the past when he was a kid, but when he grew up his life had put him on a different path.

While Sarachi was covering the final few miles that separated him from his family home another young man was about to embark for his home where an entirely different welcome was awaiting him. Tageki was done with his life as an academic and had basically started packing after Sarachi had left their shared apartment. As soon as Tageki reached the airport he started to realize that it was possible that he had seen the last of the best friend he had ever made. Still, he had to forge onwards on his own path and maybe he could see Sarachi again and he could tell him his secret and maybe, just maybe, they could join forces. Smiling at that prospect Tageki flipped open his phone and dialled a number. It rang a few times before someone picked up. "Good afternoon, this is Yasuhiro, how can I be of service?"

"James, it's me."

"Sir?" "I finished this part of my journey. Can you send someone to pick me up at Lumiose City Airport? I'll be where I usually am, reading my favourite book."

"You're in luck young sir. Jeanette is currently stationed in Lumiose and as always the family jet is ready for use. She can pick you up and have you here for dinner."

"As always you know better than to say that I'll be home for dinner. I've missed you James and Jeanette too."

"I trust your time was well spent sir?" "It has been perfectly satisfactory James, but it is time for the next phase."

"I understand sir. Well, I'll call Jeanette and she'll be with you momentarily. Have a pleasant flight, sir."

"Thank you James."

Tageki had always enjoyed travel, but he had enjoyed it even more when he was untethered by family bonds and the bond of his stature. Sadly that time would come to a permanent end if he failed to convince his father and as a result would be unsuccessful in launching phase 2 of his master plan. While he waited for Jeanette to arrive, he sat down on a bar stool at a café located between two large terminals and went over his set of arguments. He absentmindedly ordered a drink. Some of his arguments were more compelling than others. Mostly though, he was banking on the fact that his father did not seem to care much about whatever life he wanted to lead as long as he did not implicate the family name. Since his older brothers had been carefully groomed to take over the family business he was allowed some freedom as long as he stayed out of the spotlight. He had done so successfully for years and thus his father would have no reason to suspect he would be unable to do so in the future. As his mind visualized the coming discussion he expected to have, he leafed through his 'favourite' book. The cover read 'The gentleman's guide to a charmed life or 1001 schemes to conquer the world'. "Still reading that silly book are you sir? And here I was hoping student life had made you more dignified."

"Not a chance Jeanny. You haven't gotten any less lovely have you? Why should I have gotten more serious?" As he put his book away he looked up at a young woman who looked stern but who indeed had looks to spare. She wore classy clothing and looked like an attendant to a rich family.

"Also still a hopeless flirt huh? Well let's get going. Don't you have more luggage than this?" She gestured at a traveller's bag and a backpack.

"Sure, but it can wait. James can pick it up at a later time if I need it. Oh and before I come with you I'll have to change. Can't have my secret identity blown, now can I honey? Be back in a sec." Only a few minutes later a sophisticated looking gentleman emerged from the bathroom. He wore designer clothes in a summer trend, an expensive watch was on his wrist and the shades that hid his eyes said "I'm unapproachable". He walked straight to Jeanette and said in an authoritative voice "Well Jeanette, it's time to leave this splendid city behind and return home. Please arrange a crew and escort me to my jet."

"Sir, is that … you?" Jeanette whispered.

Tageki slightly lowered his shades, winked and said quietly "not what you expected Jeanny?" and in a louder voice "Well come on we haven't got all day, beautiful."

"As you wish sir" Jeanette said as she blushed slightly. "Could you please follow me sir?" At the same time she took out her phone and dialled up the crew. "Crew, please prepare Jet 481TAG stat. The falcon is ready to return to the nest. We leave in 15."

"Well done Jeanette. Now once we are on the plane I first want a conference call with James for which I want you present. Afterwards you can brief me on the current affairs of my family and the businesses. After that, it is time to play some chess."

"Chess, sir?"

"I assume the set my father and brothers used is still present?"

"Naturally, but … "

"No buts Jeanette. Also, make sure the crew does not disturb us during business."

"No worries, sir. Chris and Sarah are crew. Jared and Tormud are piloting."

"It seems I underestimated you and James, Jeanette."

"Well, you did send me to business school with a reason I hope. If you're surprised now then the briefing will blow you away." Tageki smiled.

"I'm looking forward to that then."

Walking up the boarding ramp Tageki saw a couple of familiar faces waiting at the end of the entrance to the plane. When they reached the entrance the men said in unison, "Welcome back sir, we hope your flight will be pleasant." With a grin Tageki took of his shades.

"No need to be so formal guys. I assume you remember?" Chris and Tormud exchanged a surprised look.

"Of course, sir." Suddenly the trio exchanged a complicated handshake routine while grinning like a bunch of mischievous boys. Seeing this, Jeanette made a point to roll her eyes while she released a sigh of exasperation.

"Boys will be boys," she said.

"You should have known I'd never change boys." Tageki berated the men. "As long as we are in select company you are, and always will remain my friends. Now where are Jared and Sarah?" Just then an older looking man of about 60 and a woman who seemed to be around 40 years old came out of the cockpit.

"And I'm telling you father he is different from his brothers."

"Yeah, well I'm not so sure. They all started out kind and friendly. A few years at boarding school and they are the spitting image of their father." Tageki started to see the picture. So, he thought, they feared he'd become like his brothers; unfeeling businessmen with no thought for anything else than their bottom line. He winked at Chris and Tormud and put his finger to his lips. He started bellowing in a bossy tone.

"Jared! Where are you?! I wanted to take off yesterday."

When Jared and Sarah stood before him Jared had a smug air about him and he shot Sarah a meaningful glance while he said, "we can leave in five minutes, sir."

"Make that two minutes Jared, no excuses. And Sarah, I want lunch at exactly 13:30. I'll be in a conference call, so I want you to bring it in the business lounge as quietly as possible and afterwards I want you to leave promptly."

Slightly forlorn Sarah said, "of course sir, any refreshments I can bring before then?"

A slight smile started tugging at Tageki's lips as he said, "the Taka would like a triple chocolate chip macadamia ice cream in a cone. And can I have a wafer with it too?" Jared and Sarah looked bewildered, dumbstruck and completely baffled. It was too much and Tageki lost what little control he had left and burst out in laughter. "I'm sorry Sarah," he managed to say. "We overheard your conversation and I just couldn't resist."

As Jared and Sarah caught on the mood lightened again. "Oh Tageshi", Sarah started.

"Tageki among friends", Tageki interrupted.

"You really had me worried for a minute. I was afraid you had become just like them."

"Well I guess my acting and improv classes were not for nothing then. I can play my role."

"Well son of a gun, you sure had me fooled son. Still planning on changing the world then?" Jared said.

"Indeed I am Jared. Now Jeanette, will you bring me to the business lounge? It is time to start project Arceus."

About half an hour after take-off, Jeanette managed to catch James on his lunch break. "Yasuhiro here, you've caught me at an inopportune time. Could you please call me back later?"

"James! If you hang up that phone there will be hell to pay!"

"You sir? So you're already in the air then. Pardon me for my rudeness, but I've been called by numerous anonymous numbers lately. Some of them are ours, but others aren't."

"Ours? So, I take it project Redemption is going well? Can you give me an update?"

"Of course sir. We have establishments now in key locations of the major cities in Sinnoh, Hoen, Kalos, Johto, Kanto and lately Unova as well. As of yet they are per your instructions small and their placement in seems ad random. In the shadows all of them are owned by loyalists of the old guard, yet in the light they are local start-ups manned by locals. All of the bars, clubs, bistro's, cafés, diners and otherwise service oriented establishments are a safe haven for hard working people who have due to circumstances fallen on hard times and were forced to start working on the wrong side of town."

"Wonderful, what about finances and out targeted employees and clientele?"

James took a moment before he replied. "Well, remember Jeanette did advise you not to gamble so heavily." Hearing this Jeanette shot Tageki a look. "However, it paid off. Theoretically you have spent your entire savings, yet earned it back without making a single noticeable transaction. This year we will be turning our first profit. Also half of our staff is either following business courses in order to start their own businesses in the same branch in other urban areas or cities, or is doing an academic study to get a meaningful job in another branch. All of them dream of sustainable business that serves the people and minimizes the negative effects on the environment. All of them are a year or so from graduating. The business course students have one year or one and a half to go. The academics have around two years left. The academics seem to mingle well with our clientele, the next generation. As a result we have listed dozens of potential assets in each city of each region." While Yasushi, James to Tageki, finished his report Jeanette's expression changed from smugness to surprise before it settled on admiration.

"Well Jeanette, it seems I was right to gamble." Tageki said. "Thank you James. Jeanette will now brief me on the developments in the world. Please keep me updated on developments on your end."

"I will sir."

"Well sir I congratulate you", Jeanette said. "And it seems I have underestimated James. He has used my business intel quite effectively."

"You are too kind miss Jeanette. I only did as I was instructed."

"No need to be modest James, you performed admirably", Tageki said in all earnestness. "One more thing before you sign off. Regarding the new assets, what region is ripest?"

"Well in Kanto, Johto and Hoen the branches agriculture, forestry and husbandry show a lot of short term promise, especially since they can provide for our secondline production and service industry. The mining industries of Kanto, Johto and Sinnoh will take longer to gain a foothold. I suggest a start in Kanto and Johto as they are more traditional and likely to adopt our way of business. The tech branches of Unova and Kalos are half a decade away according to your formula and as you suspected the energy and transport should be tackled first."

"Regarding the timeline there is an update though, James. I have found evidence of new tech that could act as a very powerful catalyst, but it will take some time to acquire it. If utilised to its full potential it will cut the necessary time for each phase by more than half."

Jeanette looked shocked upon hearing this. "Half!" she exclaimed.

James seemed to echo her thoughts. "Really sir? Such a feat is unheard of. And what proof do you have of this miraculous concept?"

"None. Call it a hunch or a gut feeling but I really believe in the concept. It is as of yet unknown in the entire world and I wish to keep it that way. But one of the brightest minds I know is working on the project and I trust she will succeed. Well, I say this meeting has run its course James. I'll see you later. Jeanette and I have more to discuss. We'll see you at dinner."

"Looking forward to it sir."

The line was disconnected. Before Tageki could continue there was a knock at the door. It was Sarah. "Tageki, the lunch is ready!"

"Great! You can bring it in Sarah".

Sarah entered and as she saw the charts and projections she mumbled, "he may be as kindhearted as the Tageki that left, but these charts reek of business and business has a way of changing men."

Tageki had overheard and responded reassuringly. "Don't worry Sarah. I will be unlike any other businessman you've ever known. You'll see."

After searching his eyes for a while Sarah's expression softened. "I'll hold you to that promise young man." Inwards she added, _and in doing so I'll keep mine._

Tageki laughed and said, "I trust you will. Now scoot before I bore you to death with business".

Sarah decided to play along. Looking aghast she exclaimed, "Dear me. I better get out of here then. And you two don't work too hard", before exiting the business lounge.

Not a minute passed after Sarah's departure before Jeanette started her briefing. They ate lunch in between. At times Tageki interrupted her for critical questions. Jeanette finished her presentation and looked expectantly at Tageki who had turned his head to look outside the plane as if to collect his thoughts. Suddenly he looked straight at her as he spoke "So, the playing field hasn't changed that much. The ruling families are still at each other's throats and minor skirmishes shift the power slightly back and forth. Yet we have started to seize terrain, seemingly without them being aware of it. All they see are some random small businesses that are able to generate a modest profit. They are blind to small parties and not even in their darkest dreams do they suspect that there is a unifying party weaving webs throughout the world. As soon as phase three starts to settle though, they cannot ignore that power is shifting. That is why I need more allies. Furthermore I need the catalyst that I spoke of earlier. I'm planning to start a journey to find both. I will target the assets we identified and generated in our Redemption phase to start phase two 'Production' and phase three 'Synchronisation' and when my journey reaches its completion I will start phase four 'Harmonisation' while hopefully infusing the catalyst. You and James will have to travel in my wake to formalize any assets I acquire. As always I wish for organic assimilation. Make sure your movements are untraceable. Are you with me Jeanette?"

"I, that is to say… I'm surprised sir. I knew you were smart, but seeing as you never showed any sign of ambition or aptitude I never thought you aspired to something as grand as this. I was sceptical at first, but I'm beginning to believe you might actually complete project Arceus successfully."

Tageki smiled, "thank you Jeanette, your faith and loyalty mean a lot to me." Before any of his deeper feelings showed through he broke the spell. "Now where is that chess set. It's time to break my records." Tageki grinned mischievously with a maniacal glint in his eyes.

Jeanette sighed. She said, "I'll go get it", and left the business lounge.

Tageki called after her, "oh and make sure Sarah prepares my favourite snacks for later! Not too much though!" When Jeanette was out of sight he snickered. "That was close. Can't reveal my soft spots just yet. When all of this is over, maybe …"

The remainder of the flight Tageki passed while enthusiastically replaying all the chess games his father and older brothers had played. He only played the ones they had lost though, trying to fight his way out of the most difficult situations. As the plane started its descent in the Unova region, night was falling and Tageki sobered up. Soon he would have to speak to his father. With a rueful smile he packed the chess set and as he did so he wondered what his dear friend Sarachi was up to.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Homecoming

As soon as Sarachi's journey was nearing its end he felt his heart beating faster while his breath quickened. He felt his blood calling out to him and through the open window he heard the wind calling as well. It stirred the leaves of the trees, whispered of the seasons passed since his departure and its gentle caress welcomed him home. His cousins had fallen asleep soon after they had had made their stopover and had gotten on the shuttle bus. Since there was only one more stop he decided to wake them up. He laid a hand on Grace's right shoulder and Moira's left and gently shook them awake. Both of them reacted rather sluggishly. "No mom. I don't want to", Grace mumbled.

"Grace, Moira, come on girls, we're nearly there." Sarachi gently shook them again while urging them to wake up. This time it had the desired effect. The girls opened their eyes and stretched and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes.

"We're nearly there, huh Sarachi? Wow it sure has gotten dark quickly", Moira said. About 5 kilometres from Crossgate town the area around the Hyashi family farm had a lot less artificial lighting than the townspeople were used to.

"Final stop Crossgate outskirts, Hyashi farm", the bus driver called. The bus came to a stop. The trio thanked the bus driver for the ride and got off the shuttle bus. As the bus was driving away Sarachi took a moment to take in the ambiance. The light of the bus disappeared in the distance and soon the only lighting came from the moon and stars and a few light-posts marking the path to the Hyashi family farm. The clear night sky showed familiar constellations; and while the moon looked down on them kindly and a soft breeze filled their lungs with the rich forest air, Sarachi reverently turned his head towards the path. Only a few more metres separated him from his home. He released Sabre who appeared in a red flash.

"We're almost home Sabre. Can you feel it? The energy of this place?", Sarachi asked. Sabre closed her eyes, tilted her head and seemed to concentrate for a moment. When she opened her eyes a strange light shone within them. It's as if she shared his feelings. They started walking and every few minutes Sarachi quickened his pace. The girls only had a weekend traveller's bag between them, but they still had to put in some extra effort to keep up with him. The trunk's wheels sounded loudly in the night. The path wound through the woods and split a few times. Sarachi had little to no trouble finding his way though. Memory and instinct were his guide. And as they rounded the last corner and the farmhouse came in sight, they saw that a small group of people was waiting for them. They were bathing in the light that was pouring from the open front door. One of the figures detached himself from the group and ran towards Sarachi. It was his kid brother Kasuto who rushed him and jumped at him, forcing him to drop the handle of the trunk to catch his brother.

His voice was vibrant with joy as he spoke, "Sarachi! You're home. You're finally home. I'm so glad. You know grandpa he … isn't feeling so well lately." As they embraced Moira and Grace caught up and his older brother approached.

"You made it in time bookworm", he said. They clasped each other's forearm.

"You know you can count on me grease monkey", Sarachi responded. "How is everybody? How is gramps?"

"Well the farm is doing well enough so mom and dad are less stressed out. Gramps is still holding on. He was determined to speak with you and Alessa before passing on."

"Is he awake?"

"No, but he usually is pretty active in the morning. Well, you know, all things considered. So you can see him then. But go on, say hi to the rest. We'll catch up later. And don't worry about the trunk ok? I'll carry it to my room."

The next few hours were spent greeting all family members and swapping stories. He started with his parents, Yasushi and Imari. Afterwards he moved on to his uncle Jinsei, aunt Haruna and cousin Hiroki. He finished with his other uncle, Aedan, Kathryn's husband and father of Alessa, Grace and Moira. Sabre got some attention from everyone, but after a while she was tired of the attention and went to nap on one of the comfy chairs in the living room. Aedan and Jinsei in the meantime had started talking animatedly. They were fast friends since their shared Pokémon journey. They never made it to the big leagues though. They settled down, had a family and a regular job. Aedan took up teaching and Jinsei started working at the family farm. However they spent most of their free time training with their Pokémon and participating in tournaments. Sometimes they won a prize, sometimes they didn't. It kept them in touch with the dream they share. Their children grew up with their stories and at least two decided to follow in their footsteps, Hiroki and Grace. Grace still had to start obviously, but Hiroki had 7 years under his belt already and in that time he had managed to surpass his father and pass the 'Double trouble elite four challenge'. This challenge was like a normal elite four challenge only every battle consists of two vs two battles. He was a good trainer, but had difficulty micro managing his team in the triple threat division. He hadn't figured out how to battle with three Pokémon at the same time. Making sure they battled as a team, complementing each others' strengths and weaknesses without becoming over reliant. As Sarachi and Hiroki were discussing different viewpoints most of the family had gone to bed. Only his brother and father remained who were talking to one another about farm business. After Sarachi finished his argument in favour of letting your team battle more autonomously Hiroki replied saying. "It might be you're on to something Sarachi, but I'm not entirely convinced. I'd like to continue this talk another time, but right now I'm going to bed. I train my team every day and I start early."

Sarachi's interest was piqued. He immediately asked, "Ok, can I watch you train sometime? Not tomorrow, but say the next day? I'm curious to see how you train your team."

"Sure cuz, I can show you. Still thinking of becoming a Pokémon trainer then?" He smiled and winked at his younger cousin.

Unbidden memories of his dream came to Sarachi. He shook it off and said, "You know I'm not Hiroki. I'm going to help dad and Xuyon create the best and most productive farm in the Hoen region and afterwards the world."

Hiroki laughed and said, "You do that! Sleep tight."

And then it was just Sarachi, his brother Xuyon and their father, who started speaking. "So, you're planning to revolutionize the farming scene Sarachi? You should know that not everyone may be ready for your vision. It may take a few years. But in the meantime you can help me and Xuyon out with setting up some product lines for the local market. We have had good harvests for the past year and many small catering companies have found us recently. Some wish to set up a factory that runs on what they call clean energy. I need you to think up recipes for products like juices, spreads, etc. for human consumption. Xuyon will think on mechanic ways to transport our produce to a warehouse and the factory. That will save us manpower and enable us to train some of our local employees to work in the factory. In half a year I want out factory and all logistics on the farm ready. That will mean that the next harvest we can deliver part of our produce to the local market and the other portion will be processed right here for our own products."

Sarachi was silent for a moment as his father awaited his reaction. "Wow, I guess we surprised him dad", Xuyon said. "Sarachi, are you still with us?"

"I am. It's just that …"

"You wanted to start on your project", Xuyon finished his thoughts.

"Well, yes. It's just that I don't think you need me much with your initial plans, dad. Mom is as good as, if not better than, I when it comes to creating recipes for the products you mentioned. I thought you would let me…"

"I know what you want son", Yasushi interrupted his son, "but the world is not ready."

"But if we don't change the world it will never be ready dad." Sarachi was starting to raise his voice. He saw his dreams put on hold again and this time he could not let that happen. "I did not come back to help out with recipes after working so hard to get my degree!"

"I'm sorry son, but that's just the way it is right now! The world simply isn't"

"You mean you're not ready to let me take over." Sarachi sighed. "I…, I'm going to bed dad."

"Sleep on it Sarachi and tomorrow we'll discuss it again. But know that I have my reasons."

"You always do dad. Come on Sabre, let's go." Sabre had been startled awake by the argument and after looking puzzled from Sarachi to the man who had once laid her in Sarachi's arms she stood up, stretched and followed Sarachi as he exited the room. No sooner had he reached his brother's room than he started venting his feelings. "It's just not fair Sabre. He always does this. Whenever I have a dream he crushes it or puts it on hold." Sabre rubbed affectionately against his leg. "You know I did dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer once. He said I was the future of the farm as Xuyon clearly wasn't interested. And now that I actually want to take over and it is my dream to do so he puts it on hold for some half-baked plan to start a juice factory." Sarachi spent a good ten minutes venting while he got ready for bed before he finally turned in and fell asleep. Sabre decided to lay right next to him as she had always done.

In the big room Yasushi and Xuyon were still talking. "Why is he so short-sighted Xuyon. Why can't he see that I want him to follow his dream. The world …", he sighed, "well we're also not ready yet. We can't risk a complete overhaul right now."

"I know that dad, but Sarachi doesn't. And you know he gave up his dreams before for the future of the family farm. It took him a while to find a new dream and now that he has he feels like he has to let it go. Again." Xuyon replied pointedly.

"You may be right Xuyon. Still, if he only has a little patience and plays his role his goals may be realized sooner rather than … well never. I hope he sees reason tomorrow. Let's get some shuteye. Tomorrow it's another busy day."

"Alright dad."

As Yasushi and Xuyon went to their respective rooms Xuyon wondered if his brother was still awake. He quietly opened the door to his room to see two glowing eyes looking at him. He whispered his brother's name quietly. "Sarachi" There was no response. "Guess all the traveling tired him out. Oh well, I'll talk to him tomorrow. Good night Sabre." Xuyon did his own nightly routine and also went to sleep.

The morning's glow of sunshine found Sarachi in the dojo. He was practicing his sword drills as diligently as ever while Sabre watched. His father and brother had already left for the farm by the time he awoke. Apparently they wanted to ease him back into the fold. For some reason this had annoyed him even more than he already was and it had taken him less than five minutes to gather his combat gear and make his way to the dojo with Sabre on his heels. He did a short warmup, impatient as he was to get his frustration out of his system. Once he considered himself warmed up he started with the basics; his crosses and plusses he called them; the simple oberhouw, unterhouw, mittelhouw, sheitelhouw and untercleaver. Then he complicated his routine. Every strike was to be finished in a guard stance either the ox, the plow, the fool's guard, the tail guard or vom tag. In this way he fluidly let attack and defense follow each other as if he were fighting an imaginary foe who countered his every move with one of his own. Just like his father did. As he played back conversations of the past his frustration flared up again and suddenly he changed to another flow. A flow drill that was all about aggression and overwhelming your opponent by letting one strike be followed by another taking care to always close any line an opponent might have for a counterstrike. Suddenly an old voice, soft and frail broke the sound of Sarachi's bladework. "Your technique is impeccable my pupil. Yet I sense anger behind those strikes." Sarachi stopped midblow. He slowly turned to regard his beloved sensei and grandfather who stood in the doorway to the dojo.

"I know you taught me to never give myself over to negative emotions sensei, I just …"

"No need to explain yourself, my grandson", the old man interrupted him as he slowly walked towards his grandson leaning on his favourite walking stick. "We can talk later. Now show me what you have learnt and we'll talk afterwards." The next hour or so Sarachi sped through all the drills with longsword, shield and sword and dual swords. At some point Sabre rushed in. She recognized her favourite drill. The one Sarachi and her always did together when no one was around. Sarachi looked startled but continued his drills with a minor shrug of his shoulders. While thinking, _well cat's out of the bag now anyway…_ And smiling at the unintended pun he performed his and Sabre's dance of blade and claw. They moved spinning and striking in perfect harmony. When Sarachi attacked Sabre spun around in front of his blows as if harrying their invisible opponents. Then once their imaginary opponents fell they struck finishing blows in unison. When Sabre leapt clawing the air in her vicinity Sarachi danced around her flowing from one guard to the next as if defending her from blows she would not be able to dodge while on the offensive. Their execution was flawless and Sarachi felt a thrill he had never felt before. He started to speed up his movements and picking up on his mood Sabre sped up as well. Sabre started to become a blur as their dance reached its crescendo. Sarachi suddenly yelled, "Now Sabre! 'Fang Claw Blade Hurricane!' " And what they had never been able to achieve suddenly became a reality in front of his mentor's eyes. Sarachi was thrilled as he felt how Sabre rushed all over his body from legs, to his torso, to his arms. Before each of his strikes Sabre would be at his arms, ready to launch herself at an enemy. He felt the energy she used emanating from her as she used her fangs and claws to force a breach in their opponents' defences. He would follow up with a mortal blow before flowing through guard positions to his next target. In this manner they took out a score of imaginary enemies before their energy started waning and their focus wavered. They ended exactly in front of Musashi who looked approvingly.

"That's much better." Musashi said. "Now, let's talk. Tell me about your time in Europe and tell me what's bothering you."

As soon as Sarachi started talking it's as if a dam burst and thoughts and emotions he had felt came pouring out. "So you see grandfather. Every time I think I have found my calling and I wish to set out to realize my dreams something interferes and I'm told to be responsible, and sensible and I, I just … I don't think I can do it again grandfather."

Musashi looked at his grandson; a thoughtful look on his face. Suddenly a smile tugged at his lips. "Young man", he said, "do you have any idea how many times in my life things did not go as I had planned? Do you know how often I had to start over? I always found another path to travel. Sometimes in life you are forced to go to a crossroads where all options seem to lead away from your original route; and you need to choose a direction. When you do you can try to pick a road that is most likely to take you back to your dream lies or … you can choose a new direction. Even if you pick the road that is most likely to lead you to your dream you may get held up at a toll bridge and you need to pay a fee in order to continue on the road you had been traveling or if the fee seems to steep you must go back and abandon the path you had been following for so long. Now I know not every man, due to his character and his talents, has an equal amount of paths he can travel, happy or unhappy. I have travelled many. I have found joy only to lose it, find it and lose it again until I wound up here and met your grandmother. Life with her and our family was my final dream and it was the most beautiful and fulfilling one."

Sarachi was a bit puzzled. He did not know much of his grandfather's younger years. "What are you trying to say grandfather?"

"Just that life may take you on unexpected journeys if you keep an open mind and listen. Sometimes you find new dreams while chasing others. Yet sometimes you have to pay a price if you are determined to see a dream through to the end. No one can tell you what to do on those occasions. All you can do is listen to your inner voice and let your instincts guide you. And don't worry. If you do not like the scenery the path takes you through you can always go back and choose again."

"But what if someone forces you to take a road you don't want to take? I mean dad…"

"Has his own road", Musashi interrupted his grandson. "He has found travel companions; your mother and his wife, your brothers and his own brother. Now travel companions can stay on the same path for a while, but sometimes the dreams they chase causes their paths to diverge. That does not mean the companions do not like, respect or love one another. They just say goodbye for a while and hope their paths may someday converge again in the future. And in the meantime they save as many stories as they can for when they are, for however brief, together again."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. A soft yet clear voice called from outside: "Sarachi, is your grandfather with you?"

"Yes mom", Sarachi answered.

In response the sliding doors to the dojo slowly opened. "Father, the notary is here to see you. Shall I send him to your study?"

"You may, daughter. Please tell him that I'll be with him shortly."

"Very well. Sarachi, will you keep your mother company when you are done training? I've hardly spoken to you last night."

Sarachi smiled warmly saying, "Sure thing mom, I'll be with you as quick as I can."

"I'll be in the kitchen", his mother replied before sliding the doors closed. Musashi regarded his grandson again.

"Well, I'm off to see the notary. Some final changes need to be made to the will. Don't forget what I said Sarachi."

"I won't grandpa."

"Good, good." The old man walked slowly to the door. He opened the doors, but before walking through the doorway he turned once more and said, "don't forget your dreams Sarachi. I think that if you follow them you will lead an interesting and wonderful life." He winked and left leaving Sarachi slightly puzzled. _What was that about_ , he wondered. _He hadn't told anyone of his dream on the plane._ _Oh well_. He smiled and shook his head. _I guess I'll never know._

After a quick shower Sarachi went to the kitchen with Sabre riding his right shoulder. As he approached the kitchen doors he smelt freshly baked Nanab bread. His mouth began to water as his stomach growled. He grinned, opened the doors to the kitchen and went straight for the nanab bread that was still warm from the oven. Just before he could cut himself a nice slice he heard his mom clearing her throat behind him. "Straight for the prize I see. Some things never change. Before you stuff your face I want you to catch me up. How was your final year? Did you meet some cute girls at University? Maybe someone special?" As she interrogated her son Imari shoved him to the table and started to make him breakfast.

"Mom!" Sarachi was surprised. "You know that Sabre is the only lady in my life!" As Sarachi said this Sabre nuzzled his cheek, closed her eyes and started napping.

"Just like your brother I see. Well, you have made some friends, haven't you? His name was Tageki, right? Why don't you invite him over for a visit?"

"Thanks mom, maybe I will; just not now."

"Why not?"

"I don't feel like having friends over. With grandpa's condition. Also I have too much to think about."

Imari shot her son a shrewd inquisitive look. "Your father has told you I see. And you're not happy."

"Well what did you expect, mom? Just when another dream is in sight, one I have worked hard for to start on, he takes it away again."

"He's just postponing it. Besides it's all a ploy to gather enough funds for you to start your program."

"Why didn't he tell me that straight on then?"

"My guess is that sometimes your father forgets that you and Xuyon are no longer boys. He just needs to be reminded that you two are supposed to take over from him someday and you can't do it if he doesn't share the burdens of management early on."

"Well if he keeps on doing that he might have to find someone else to do his bidding, because I refuse to blindly do whatever he tells me to." While Sarachi talked his mother nodded and smiled. But as he talked on her smile turned into a broad grin and not long after she started laughing. Sarachi was dumbstruck and a little hurt. "What's so funny?", he demanded.

"You, it's as if I'm talking to your dad about thirty years ago."

Sarachi was nearly speechless. "What… what do you mean?"

"Well son, let's just say that your dad once thought he'd never be a farmer. Now why don't you go hang out with your cousins for a while and don't worry too much about your dad. I'm sure that during a good family discussion we can talk it out."

"Okay mom and thanks."

"For what dear?"

"Listening!"

As Sarachi left in search of his cousins Imari shook her head. "Those two", she muttered. "More alike than they know, but unable to have a conversation without butting heads."

While Sarachi hung out with his brother Kasuto and Grace and Moira in the countryside, they were enjoying some Pokémon spotting, and all the other members of the younger generation of the Hyashi clan were busy on the farm or around the house, the eldest member of the family was in his study with the notary. He was making decisions that would influence the future of his family for generations to come. As he concluded his business with the notary the official looked baffled. "Mr. Hyashi, are you sure?"

"Yes, I am", was the short reply.

"Well, this is most unusual. It could cause some … complications. You know the only reason I am going along with this is my knowing that you are without a doubt completely sane. Still, your son may not like it."

"Well it's not like he can do anything about it, now is there?" The men stood at the window that overlooked the farming land which stretched on for miles. Afternoon had nearly given way to evening as the men were working in the study and now they were finally done. "See Edaru, just as the sun is setting on this day causing it to end and night to fall, just so is my time as head of the clan coming to an end. In fact my son has already taken over in all but name. Upon my death he will get that as well. However his dominion will be as that of the moon during the night that is about to fall. His time will be mostly spent in paving the way for a brighter sun to herald the dawn. Like the moon and the stars my son will give light and guidance during the otherwise dark moments of the night."

"And the new sun is to be your grandson?" "He does not know it yet, but he will be a symbol of hope for many before he will come to take his father's place."

"How …"

"Do I know this? Let's just say that I have been notified by one more knowledgeable than us all. I thank you for your help Edaru. Stand firm upon my passing, Make sure my wishes are kept."

"I shall sir, I shall." And with these words the notary left, leaving Musashi alone in his study.

As he watched the last rays of sunlight fade at the window the old man spoke. "The board is set, new pieces are placed. Your champions are ready to start their journey Arceus. May they grow to their full potential and achieve their appointed goals."

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 A teacher passes

Since Sarachi's return a week and a half had passed. In this time Sarachi had resigned himself to his fate. Apart from observing his cousin's training techniques once Sarachi spent his time working and training. He returned to his former farmer's routine. Waking up before dawn; training for an hour and a half. Kasuto had started to join him in the first hour before he had to leave for school. He had an interest in Kenjutsu and Kendo and had started training with their grandfather as well. The tutelage had stopped though, because of Musashi's illness. After training he ate breakfast. Once breakfast was done he worked on the farm until noon. In the afternoon he worked on wholesome recipes with his mother. He even pitched recipes that would function as trainer's items for healing and restoring or boosting stats. His mother was delighted with his creativity that had opened up a new market. She was genuinely interested in his ideas and Sarachi realized he didn't mind the work as much as he thought he would. Still, at times he also thought that it was a poor substitution for his grand dreams. In the evening he secretly worked on a logistical layout for his father's plan. He designed the layout of the factory, the production lines and the logistical lines between farm and factory, and from the factory to the nearest highway. Upon showing his brother the schematics on the fifth night Xuyon seemed impressed. "Since when do you learn anything about logistics when you study agriculture?" He asked. Sarachi told him that he had learned the basics in his major. He had learned to think in flow.

"But you, my brother, will have to work out the technical details. I had a friend at University who has followed a lot of courses and some were about logistics and engineering. We discussed study material sometimes, so I more or less know what is possible but you'll actually have to make it possible."

"Still, you saved me quite a bit of preparatory work. Sarachi, if dad knew this…"

"Please don't tell him! The last thing I need is him thinking I enjoy these side projects."

"But …"

"No Xuyon, I mean it. I'll help you with preparatory work off record and I'll keep writing recipes with mom. As soon as I'm done though…" With these words Sarachi stood up and looked out the bedroom window letting his gaze pass over their fields to the hills in the distance.

"You're planning on leaving again", Xuyon concluded.

"Yes. Maybe. Well I don't know okay!"

"You seem irritable."

"Well you heard him Xuyon _I know you want to change the world son, but right now we do not have the means to invest in new ways of farming. It will require an overhaul which means careful planning and breaking in the fields. But if you take your place in our endeavour then perhaps in two to three years' time we will be ready for yours_ ". Sarachi did a near perfect imitation of his father's voice. His voice had a bitter tone to it though. "You know as well as I do that I can have the planning done in no time Xuyon."

"Come on Sarachi, dad wants a steady income before trying something as bold and as critical as an overhaul. That's what the factory is for. It will just"

" _Take time_. You're starting to sound like him. I just, I've waited long enough Xuyon. All the years at University trying to find my way in the role dad devised for me. Any idea why I went so far away Xuyon? I mean I could have studied here in Hoen."

"I know. You wanted to get away, obviously."

He remained calm as Sarachi responded. "Yes. I always feel as if he thrusts his dreams upon me, never bothering to ask what I want. So yes, when I got the feeling I had to work years more doing something I am not passionate about I started feeling trapped again. I may leave until I can start with my plan. I'm almost done with the recipes and I can help you finalize the logistical layout, but then you don't need me anymore. I'm not planning on being a normal farm hand or factory worker for years."

Xuyon sighed. "I understand. Dad won't like it though."

Sarachi was silent for a few seconds before he replied. "I know."

Xuyon smiled and said teasingly, "So you want to enrage dad and let me take credit for work he would find worthwile. You're not making it hard for me to be the favourite; although, come to think of it, Kasuto may still surpass us all."

Hearing this Sarachi's look softened. His little brother idolized him and had tried to train alongside him every day since he'd been back. "I've missed you guys when I was away. I've missed you so much. I knew that I would, but …".

The words he left unspoken were filled in by Xuyon. "You had to go anyway. I understand, just make sure you keep coming back in one piece brother." Not long after their talk the brothers went to sleep.

On the other days Sarachi's routine was pretty much the same. He trained, worked and spent time with family members. His nights were pretty similar too. He kept having a recurring dream, although he dreamt different variations on the dream he'd had on the plane. Mostly the dreams were interwoven within other dreams, but he always ended up at Spear Pillar where Arceus chose him as his champion. He always woke up exhausted and confused. He had heard of recurring dreams, but this was getting ridiculous. Another constant factor during these days was his worry for his grandfather who had been bedridden since the third day he had been home again. Sarachi made sure to visit with Sabre, something the old man seemed to enjoy. After the seventh night though grandfather Hyashi seemed to become less and less lucid and when his cousin Alessa called on the tenth day to announce her departure from Kalos Sarachi was glad. As he frantically told her about their grandfather's condition she interrupted him with her serene voice. "I know Sarachi. Why do you think I'm leaving on the day of my thesis defense. I left right after. I just hope I can make it in time. Gramps always had time to listen to my tales of invention. He never laughed at my ideas."

"I know Lessa, gramps always listened. I just hope you make it in time."

It was not to be however. In the middle of the tenth night since Sarachi's return home the whole family was suddenly woken. Yasushi and his brothers had kept a vigil since their father's condition worsened and on that night when Jinsei was keeping vigil Musashi had suddenly urged him to gather the family as he felt his end was near. When they were gathered Musashi started in a weak voice. "I'm sure you all know why I've summoned you"

Grace and Moira started crying. "Please hold on grandpa," they pleaded, "mom and Lessa, they will be here tomorrow."

Musashi raised his hand to silence them. When they stopped talking, he continued. "I know. As I knew this day would come. I've prepared a message for each of you and I want you to take them to heart". While he spoke he looked at all of his kin in turn. "And however strange my final words may seem, heed them." He coughed as his gaze settled on Sarachi and his father. "Now I have little time left so I want some time with each and every one of you in private before I undertake my final journey. Before I do I want all of you to know that I am proud of each and every one of you and I have faith that all of you will achieve your dreams. I love all of you." The next hour or so all family members were called into the room one by one. When Sarachi was called in he was worried and apprehensive. Everyone called in left with a thoughtful and worried look on his face. "Close the door Sarachi and don't look so worried." Grandpa Musashi looked amused. "I have a question for you Sarachi, will you answer it?"

Sarachi nodded. "What is it grandpa?"

"Do you plan on following your dreams?"

Sarachi thought a while before answering. "Of course. I still plan to revolutionize the world of agriculture"

"Very well," Musashi coughed, "but I asked you after all your dreams Sarachi", Musashi said pointedly.

Sarachi was startled. "All my…"

"I know grandson, you have been chosen by Arceus." Sarachi's eyes opened wide in astonishment as Musashi continued. "When you were young you wanted to be the very best. You can still be."

"But dad won't"

"No buts Sarachi", the old man gently rebuked him. "I told you once before. Each man follows his own destiny, but he still chooses. You must choose your own path and once you do forge ahead; the means will be provided to you. All will become clear in time. Please Sarachi, promise you will not forget my words. Promise me that you will choose your own path."

Sarachi's voice was thick with emotion as he answered, "I will grandpa. I will sensei."

Musashi nodded and said, "Very well. Now go and send in your cousin Grace." As Sarachi left he barely remembered to send in his cousin distraught and distracted as he was. He could hardly believe it. Losing his grandfather who often seemed to be the only one who ever credited his hopes and dreams and feelings. His first real teacher. He had known it would happen of course. But knowing you'll experience heavy loss does not make the pain easier to bear when someone dear to you is ripped from your life. Without knowing it his feet led him to the dojo where during years of training and conversations with his grandfather he had come to love and respect the old man. Obscured as his vision was by tears and too caught up in his emotions he did not notice that many eyes and four distinct feet followed him. His family members seemed to understand his need for privacy. He always wanted to be alone whenever he felt sad. He had rarely allowed anyone to see his raw emotions whenever he was in pain. With Sabre though, it was different. This time however even Sabre couldn't break through to Sarachi by rubbing against his legs as Sarachi opened the door to the dojo and entered without closing them. He went straight to the arsenal of weapons that was displayed in neat ranks flanked by banners on which the family dojo crest was emblazoned. Picking up each of them he started to drill while the tears flowed freely from his eyes. He performed all the drills he had shown his grandfather, not noticing that a small crowd had started gather when they heard his battle cries and grunts. When he reached his longsword he paused slightly as if grief had overtaken him. He pushed through however. He tightened his grip and started the deadly dance. And as soon as he started, Sabre, who had thus far lain at the entrance of the dojo feeling her master's pain, jumped to her feet and joined Sarachi in their dance of blade and claw. They spun and struck in perfect harmony and when the crescendo arrived they performed the 'Fang Claw Blade Hurricane' perfectly before Sarachi collapsed with a raw cry of anguish. He knew it without a doubt. His grandfather and beloved sensei was no more. Kneeling with his sword in front of him he cried. Sabre jumped in his lap and nuzzled him. He was completely oblivious to the surprised looks of the onlookers and the soft whispering voices of his cousins Grace and Moira, "Wow, did you see that? Is that what he had meant with other tricks he had taught Sabre? That was amazing!" The first sensation he became aware of was his father's hand on his shoulder and his voice coming from behind.

"It will be alright son. I know you two were close, but know that everyone in this family is here for each other. Together we shall prevail, grow and prosper as my father, your grandfather, always wanted. The Hyashi farm will become the Hyashi business and together we will ensure that his legacy, living on through us, will be a grand one revolutionary, vibrant and everlasting"

"I know dad. It's just that grandpa; well he told me that I had to follow my dreams. And I don't know if I can."

Upon hearing his son's words Yasushi startled a bit. He thought for a moment before answering. "Don't you worry about that now, son. We can discuss it after we have grieved and your grandfather's affairs have been settled. Then we will plan the future of the Hyashi business." To the others he said, "I think it is best if we all went to bed now. Tonight has been very painful for all of us. The coming days will be difficult, but as a family, we will get through this. Musashi has joined our ancestors and in their presence he shall not be shamed, for he has achieved much good in his life. Rest well and know that he is never far away, for he lives on in us." After hearing these words everyone went back to their respective rooms while Yasushi stayed behind. Sleep eluded many for a while except for Kasuto who had been left sleeping through the entire ordeal. Yasushi sighed. _It would be difficult to tell Kasuto what had happened in the middle of the night. And what was the meaning of the "follow your dream" message that his old man left his son. His father had told him to let his son follow his dream. But the path was clear wasn't it? First help create a successful business to have a steady income and then pilot the new farming concept and upon success Sarachi's dream will be realised. Oh well, he'll straighten the business out as soon as the will had been read and his father's affairs had been put in order._ As he thought so he continued his vigil, already planning the steps to take first thing in the morning to arrange the interment as per his father's wishes. He stayed up all night thinking and as the sun came up he was ready to act.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Saying goodbye

Upon waking it took only a short moment for Sarachi to realise why he felt so empty and devoid of energy. He was operating on autopilot for most of the day and when his chores were done he went to the dojo. He had hoped to find clarity while training as he so often had in the past. This time however the walls seemed to be closing in on him. The lingering presence of his grandfather in the dojo where he had trained for years was too strong for him to bear so close to his passing. In the end he could not take it and he almost fled the house, stopping only to take some water and fruit with him in the hiking pack of his teen years.

While Sarachi was trying to lose and find himself in the forested hills surrounding the family farm, Katherine and Alessa finally arrived. Feeling too emotionally distraught to drive they had come by bus. Alessa was puzzled at first to hear that Sarachi was not on the farm grounds, but after her sisters had told her about the past night she seemed to understand. Still, as the shadows lengthened even she began to get worried about Sarachi. "Where could he be? He usually never stays out this late without Sabre, no matter how distressed he is", she wondered aloud as she petted Sabre who was lounging next to her on the couch. She had hardly done so before Sabre raised her head and after a brief moment of recognition she ran towards the door. Only a few seconds later she appeared again lying content in Sarachi's arms. Everyone in the room was staring at him as he entered the living room. He managed to say a short apology before he bolted for his room. Despite traveling many miles, walking in silence in a near meditative state he had failed to work through his emotions and determine his goals for the nearby future. Lying on the bed he was already dreading the next day as he started to speak. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind Sabre. I just never thought to be away for so long." In response Sabre nuzzled him. Laughing weakly he continued, "I promise I won't leave you behind like that ever again". Not long after he uttered those words he drifted off, exhausted as he was. Even in his sleep he was not allowed to rest as a familiar sight and voice filled his dream vision. "Why do you resist the pull, young one!?", Arceus demanded. "Become my champion; you must save the world! If you do not make a decision soon, one will be made for you!" Suddenly Spear pillar crumbled and vanished. In turn a large skyscraper rose skyward and he saw the frightening increase of pollution while in the background he heard his grandfather's voice. "Follow your dreams grandson!"

It was somewhere early in the morning when Sarachi startled awake. As he gathered his bearings he noticed his brother was staring at him from his study.

"Nightmare?" he questioned.

Sarachi answered. "You have no idea."

His brother looked worried as he said, "You know if you need to talk I'm here for you bro. So are mom and dad and everyone else."

Sarachi was quick to respond. "I know Xuyon, thanks. But this is something I need to work out for myself."

After breakfast Yasushi approached Sarachi saying, "Son, if you need some time off I understand. I know you loved your grandfather very much. I want you to process your grief at your own pace. Spend some time with your family though. I think it will help you … and them as well."

Sarachi listened and gave his father a gratuitous look. He said, "thanks dad, I … I think I could use some time off." At the same time he wondered how it could help as most of the issues he dealt with were not easily discussed with others. Out loud though he said, "I won't wonder off too much dad, I promise."

"Very well. After the funeral however, we'll need to talk." Sarachi knew it was inevitable, but it was not a talk he looked forward to having.

"When is …", Sarachi swallowed back tears.

Yasushi understood. "The funeral will be in four days' time. There will be a service and a reading of the will on the next day. I wish to discuss the future of the farm and the business right after."

 _So I have less than a week,_ Sarachi thought to himself. Out loud though, he said, "Okay dad, I'll try to have my thoughts sorted by then." Despite the promise he had made his father Sarachi found himself back in his grandfather's dojo, brooding and doing flowdrills, before even half of the afternoon had passed. He had closed the door because he wanted to be alone as he tried to navigate the maze his thoughts and emotions had created in his mind. While he methodically did flows and kata's he tried to untangle the web in his mind asking the question 'dream or no dream?' _It must have been,_ he thought. _By the way your place is here. But what if it wasn't a dream? It doesn't matter. I have no funds to start a journey. It's not like he could start a FundMe campaign online to ask for sponsors saying "please fund me, the saviour of your world"._ He snorted. _No one would believe him. Arceus will just have to find someone in a better position to be his 'chosen one'._ However a small voice inside of him spoke up. It said, _it would be cool though._ His rational side was quick to answer it, _Irrelevant! Your place is here! Your family needs you. And you have no funds._ The small voice was resilient though. It refused to be silent. When the circular thoughts were about to drive him mad someone knocked on the door. Sarachi chose to ignore it, occupied as he was. Hardly a minute passed, before the door was opened. He turned around angrily ready to unleash his fury upon any who had dared enter his sanctuary. Seeing Alessa with Sabre in her arms stopped him dead in his tracks. The glare he meant to show the intruder melted to reveal his underlying feelings. "What do you want Lessa," he said as he dropped his gaze.

Where Alessa was nearly halted by his first look she quickly spoke when she saw it for the mask it had been. "Stumbled on a problem you can't solve, my knight? You know I'd love to help, but resurrecting the dead is a bit beyond me."

"That's not the puzzle Lessa," Sarachi mumbled, mildly irritated. "I have accepted the passing of grandpa. It hurts, but … " Sarachi left his sentence hanging in the air as he turned around and started another drill.

Alessa's curiosity was piqued immediately. "So, what is troubling you so much that you avoid your family?" she asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Alessa", Sarachi replied curtly.

Alessa walked up to him and intercepted his next move. She slowly took hold of his right wrist and lowered his arm and consequently also the blade he had been wielding. Looking him in the eyes she said softly, "Try me".

Seeing his cousin wasn't about to back down Sarachi decided to talk. "You want to know my dilemma?" he started. "Don't get startled! I'm just trying to decide whether to be my father's factory stooge or become the world's saviour. It's elementary really. I'm sure I'll have it figured out soon."

Alessa's response was immediate. "Factory stooge", she scoffed, "don't be so melodra…" She stopped midsentence, her mouth open and a look of pure astonishment on her face. Her grip on Sarachi's wrist loosened. She continued hesitantly, "Wait, what did you just say? Saviour … of … the world?" Sarachi couldn't help chuckling as he saw her look and saw her struggling to make sense of what he had said. "Sarachi, are you serious?" Surprise had made way. Worry and doubt had taken its place.

As these registered with Sarachi he answered her, "I told you, you wouldn't believe me". His tone had turned bitter. He shrugged again and tried to turn from her to return to his exercise.

Alessa tightened her grip around his wrist and spoke. "Explain it to me", she urged.

Sarachi looked at her. "Are you sure?" he asked. The look in Alessa's eyes said it all. Seeing his cousin was earnest, he said, "Okay, but it will take some time, so let's take a few of the exercise mats and get more comfortable." It was difficult to start, but as soon as he started the words flowed from him. It felt good to confide in someone, he found as he finished his story saying, "So you see, I think I'm going mad. Still, this dream keeps haunting me. It's uncanny and quite frankly unnerving. What if I am supposed to save the world?"

At first Alessa looked stupefied. After thinking for a short while though she replied, "What if you are? I can think of a less interesting way to save the world than becoming the best trainer in the world. Wasn't that your dream once?" Sarachi shot her a questioning look. "Being the best trainer, not saving the world obviously", she explained.

"Are you saying I am looking for an excuse to go on a Pokémon journey, cousin?" Sarachi's tone was accusatory as he said this.

Alessa looked slightly hurt. "Of course not. I'm just trying to give you the same advice you gave me once. Follow your heart Sarachi and trust your instincts. If you want to go on a Pokémon journey to live one of your dreams until you can start working to achieve your other goals, do so. Why would you question your intentions? I've talked to your brother and I believe you've done your part in your father's projects."

"He told you?" Sarachi asked incredulously.

"Why wouldn't he?" Alessa shot back. "He knows we're close. Besides, I'm the best at keeping secrets. Everyone knows that", she said with a slight smile on her face.

Sarachi was still unsure. "So, you're saying I should go?"

"If that is what your heart and instincts tell you, yes. I actually think it's cool", she said. "And", she continued with a twinkle in her eyes, "since we're swapping secrets, I'll tell you one of mine: Mom and I are working on something that will have the potential to destroy the status quo in the competitive field of Pokémon battling. And if you plan to start a journey you may test our prototypes along with Grace. As long as you keep it a secret of course", she added.

"Sounds tempting", Sarachi mused. "But I'll have to think on it a bit more."

"Worried about how your dad might take it?" Alessa said teasingly.

"Shut up!" Sarachi said while trying to look intimidating. His façade broke soon though and he smiled slightly. Sabre seemed to sense a change in her master's demeanor and she jumped towards him, climbed on his shoulder and rubbed her head against his cheek.

"Allright", Alessa said, "now how about we go out of the dojo and defend our title as king and queen of games. You know my sisters, your brothers and Hiroki have waited a long time for revenge. And no more brooding, you hear?"

The days passed slowly but surely. While the older generation made all sorts of preparations for the service in honor of Musashi Hyashi the younger generation tried to stay occupied. They played games, went hiking and did other activities to pull the focus away from their grief. In those days friends called to offer condolences and family got in touch to offer support and make inquiries concerning the details of the wake and the funeral service. Finally though, the official day of the wake had arrived. Relatives had come of whom Sarachi had never even been aware. There were also some acquaintances and friends from all periods of the varied life his grandfather had led. Among them were trainers and breeders from his life as a trainer, practitioners of Kendo from his days as a martial artist and several farming families from the surrounding area where he had settled down. Clearly his grandfather had touched more lives than he had thought possible. On the day of the service the entire Hayashi family went to a local Shinto temple where the other attendees of the funeral were waiting for them. The service itself was both traditional and beautiful. Per Musashi's wishes he was cremated. And after the picking of the bones several close relatives were given some ash and bone to take with them to their home. Most guests left afterwards. Only very close friends, relatives and family remained. Apart from his direct descendants only a Kendo master, a Kenjutsu master and an estranged brother remained for the reading of the will which, per Musashi's wishes, would take place the next day. All who were to be present for the reading of the will were invited to stay at the farm. As they rode back there was relative silence in each car. But at some point the silence was broken as in each car the relatives started sharing stories of the old man who had been loved by all. In the car of Yasushi it was Kasuto who spoke up first. "I'm going to miss training with grandpa", he said with a sad tone.

"I know what you mean Kasuto", Sarachi responded. "He taught me so much and he had so much left to teach."

Kasuto looked at his brother wistfully and asked him, "Will you train with me now brother?"

Sarachi saw the silent plea in his younger brother's eyes. He also noticed the glance Xuyon gave him as Kasuto asked his question. He wished he could put everyone's mind at ease by saying that he wanted to stay, but Alessa had been right in what she had said to him several days ago. He had to follow his heart and the words factory did not inspire him to enthusiasm. But he did not wish to disappoint his brother either, especially on this day. So, choosing his words carefully, he replied, "As long as I'm home I'll train with you every day Kasuto."

"Thank you Sarachi", Kasuto said. Gratitude was clear in his voice. It made Sarachi feel slightly uneasy, especially once he saw the accusatory look in Xuyon's eyes. To divert the attention from him Sarachi steered the conversation towards experiences he had of grandpa Musashi training him and competitions he coached him through. Luckily for him this caused their father to break in at some point to tell about his personal experiences with his father and for the remainder of the journey there were no awkward and painful silences.

It was already dark when everyone was back at the Hyashi farm and it wasn't long after that one by one people started to retire for the night until only Sarachi, Xuyon and their parents were left. As Imari, Sarachi's mother, was about to leave the living room the family phone rang. Wondering who might be calling at such an hour she went to pick up the phone. The number caller id showed it was a number from outside the Hoenn region which piqued her interest even more. She picked up the phone, saying, "Good evening, you have reached the Hyashi residence, this is Imari Hyashi speaking." The voice that responded was unfamiliar.

"Good evening mrs. Hyashi. I apologise for calling at this late hour. My name is Tageki Nazohiro, a friend of Sarachi's and I've called to offer my condolences. I am sorry for your loss." The line was quiet for a few seconds as if the caller was unsure on how to continue. Then Tageki asked, "Is Sarachi available?"

Imari was touched. She had heard of Tageki, but hearing the emotion the other conveyed in his voice was enough to make her instantly like this friend of her son. Out loud she said, "Thank you for your consideration Tageki, and for the condolences. I'll call my son." Placing her hand on the phone she called out, "Sarachi!"

The response was immediate. "Yes mom?" Imari was still smiling slightly as she gestured him to come to the phone saying, "A friend of yours, Tageki". She handed him the phone, hugged him and said good night.

As Imari left the living room Sarachi was slightly puzzled. _Why had Tageki contacted him on the residential phone?_ he wondered. _Oh well,_ he thought as he answered the phone, _I'll find out soon enough_. "Hey Tageki, thanks for calling. But why "

"Did I not contact you on your phone?" Tageki interrupted him. "Well, ehm, let's see how do I say this without sounding stupid. I, ehm. Well … I lost my phone."

It took a second for Sarachi to register. "You … lost … your phone?" Sarachi started laughing. Tageki had once ridiculed him teasingly for losing his phone, claiming that something like that would never happen to him.

"Laugh it up bladeboy", Tageki said sounding slightly annoyed. But soon he started chuckling as well. The irony wasn't lost on him. "Anyway, how are you holding up bud? I read the eulogy, so I figured I'd give you a call and offer my condolences."

This sobered Sarachi up in an instant. He thought for a few seconds before replying. "You know I'm doing better now. The first few days were rough, but I think I'm finally letting go. I'll still miss him, but it doesn't hurt as much anymore." As he spoke the words, Sarachi knew they were true.

"I'm glad you're feeling better now", Tageki said in turn. "Do you remember the conversation we had before you left?"

 _How could I ever forget,_ Sarachi thought. Out loud he said, "Sure, why?" "Well I'm in Olivine city by chance for a few days and, well… I was hoping you could come see me before I need to travel on home."

Sarachi was surprised, "What now?!" he asked.

"Well, between now and a week and a half. If you can't I understand."

Sarachi thought quickly. Maybe some time away was exactly what he needed to think on what road he wanted to take, or rather how he was going to tell his father what road he wanted to take. "I'll see what I can do Tageki. I'll call you before tomorrow night to let you know, okay?"

By the tone in his voice Tageki already knew he had convinced his friend and so he said, "Thanks bladeboy. I knew I could count on you."

"Yeah, yeah wiseguy. See you soon, I hope." "See you soon Sarachi." They hung up nearly simultaneously.

"Who was that?" Xuyon and his father were both looking at him.

"A friend, Tageki. He wanted to offer his condolences."

"Kind of him", Yasushi said. "Anything else?" he asked. His father, who was pretty observant when he wanted to be, seemed to notice he was contemplating something.

"Yes actually", Sarachi answered. "He is in Olivine city on his way home and he wanted to meet me there in the next couple of days."

Upon hearing these words Musashi thought a moment as if weighing some options. At the same time Xuyon observed both as if to gauge whether he would have to step in. "Sure, as long as we have our talk before you leave."

This response in turn made Sarachi pause for a second. "Can't we do it afterwards, dad?" he started carefully.

"No son, I think you have had enough time to think. It's time to determine your future and that of the family business."

Sarachi saw no way out. "Ok dad. Let's talk tomorrow", he replied in a curt tone. "Good night father. Good night Xuyon."

"Hang on, I'm going to turn in too. Good night dad." As they left Sabre was right on their heels.

"Wow I'm surprised I didn't have to step in there, I mean, the tension was palpable", said Xuyon. They had just reched his room and had started getting ready for bed.

"Arguing would have been pointless. He…", Sarachi bit back a few swear words before sighing exasperated.

"So, what will you tell him tomorrow? You're planning to travel for a while before chaining yourself to his factory?" Xuyon sounded a bit sceptical.

"I don't know bro, I guess I'll improvise", Sarachi smiled wryly. Not long afterwards they turned off the light and quieted their minds, waiting for sleep to claim them.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	7. Chapter 7

If you have read all my previous chapters I thank you for your sticking with me. I started this story as way to practice my writing skills. It is my goal to apply those skills in writing my very own epic stories. I have more than a few cool ideas in my head but lack the experience of seasoned writers.

Having said that I do not plan on giving up and I want to ask you, the reader, for feedback on how I am doing so far as a writer. All constructive feedback is welcome whether they are technical tips, things about character development, plot development, pacing of the story, etc. I am willing to learn and generate nice stories for you to enjoy.

Thank you all for reading,

Chris Arsajan

p.s. Chapter 8 is on the way. It is a long one ;)

Chapter 7 Keeping a promise

The following morning only a few hours after dawn found all the beneficiaries of the will in Musashi's study. The notary, Edaru, had been reading for a while now. Family members, close and distant relations and old friends alike were listening intently to the final words of Musashi as they were written down by the notary in his final days. The possessions of Musashi that were given to their new owner per his wishes first were small mementoes of the various different lives that he had led. Each time one of the attendees had received all he was due Edaru kindly informed them thereof and afterwards he just as kindly asked them to depart. Around 10 AM Edaru was still speaking. "The next item of note is the dojo and all master Musashi's training material. Weapons and manuscripts included." He adjusted his glasses, cleared his throat and continued. "To the best student I have had the pleasure of teaching during my years as a sensei, Sarachi Hyashi, I leave without exception all of my training materials and ownership of the dojo." Sarachi was dumbstruck. He had expected his grandfather to grant the dojo to one of his earlier students who had started instructing students themselves. The Kendo master present seemed not surprised at all. When he caught Sarachi's gaze he nodded politely and benignly. "However, until such time as Sarachi will instruct students of his own or until he permanently settles near the Hyashi dojo on the grounds of the Hyashi family farm, the Hyashi dojo will remain open for instructing students in the art of Kendo and Kenjutsu by former students of mine that have founded a school in the area. As soon as Sarachi decides to settle down he may decide upon future uses of the Hyashi dojo. Do the beneficiaries understand these conditions?" It remained quiet for a moment. "Sarachi?" Edaru urged.

"Eh, yes of course Edaru, sir."

"Master Senji?"

"As clear as a still mountain lake on a windless day. On behalf of my fellow teachers and our students I graciously accept."

"Wonderful," said Edaru. "Now I'm afraid I need to ask you to leave as the rest of the effects are solely for Musashi's descendants."

"Of course." With these words the Kendo master stood and left the room.

"Now I will clarify Master Hyashi's wishes regarding his financial assets and his real estate. These are mainly his life savings and all the land belonging to the Hyashi farm." With these words all the children of Musashi seemed to sit a bit straighter in their seats. They were interested in how their father had decided to divide his belongings between his children. The younger generation however was looking confused and expectantly at each other. Why were they here when all that was left to talk about were finances and land? Sarachi personally had been shocked upon hearing he was now the owner of his grandfather's dojo and all the training equipment present. From the sisters Alessa had a calculating look on her face as if she was trying to divine what decisions Musashi might have taken. Moira and Grace however looked dumbstruck. Hiro, Xuyon and Kasuto were also surprised but seemed slightly more composed.

After a few moments Yasushi, who was surprised by the attendance of his children and nieces and nephew, spoke up. "Edaru, why are the children still here? Surely matters of finance are for just the older generation among Musashi's descendents?"

"Yasushi sir, in all normal circumstances you would be right. However, the late master Hyashi was adamant when he expressed his wishes. I shall clarify. I shall start with the Hyashi family farm and the surrounding land. The land that is currently in use for the planting of crops and the land that is in use for the orchards along with an additional portion of land is given into ownership of Yasushi Hyashi, the oldest son and heir of Musashi Hyashi. This pertains about 30% of the land. Of the remaining land two seventh is granted to Jinsei Hyashi, Musashi's second-born son. The rest of the land will be rented to the farming cooperation for at least two years. When the time comes that investments can be made for expanding upon the Hyashi farming land part of the rented land can be repurposed."

At this point Jinsei cleared his throat and voiced a question that was on the mind of everyone present. "So about 50% of the land is rented to farmers for as long as we are unable to invest in expanding our operations; but what happens to the financial income from this land? I assume it will be divided equally, correct?"

Edaru's answer surprised everyone. "Actually Jinsei, interestingly enough, that is incorrect. 40% of this income will go into a fund specifically for investing in the Hyashi farming business. 25% of the income will go to Kathryn and another 15% to Jinsei. That leaves another 20%. This income will go into a trust fund dedicated to finance the education or educational experiences of future generations. It can also be used for starting a business venture by a younger member of the Hyashi family. There are some contractual conditions for taking money out of the trust fund. These can be reviewed with me at all times."

"Wait, what? A trust fund? Why should we splinter our assets instead of pooling our resources and making sure that the Hyashi family farm will prosper?" Yasushi asked. While he seemed surprised, Imari and Katryn looked at each other and smilingly nodded as if they agreed wholeheartedly with Musashi's plan.

"Well, Yasushi, I can divulge at least this information that Musashi shared with me as he instructed me in documenting his final wishes. He was sure that not every descendent of his would want to be a farmer full time. He wished to give every future generation a chance to become whatever he or she could ever dream of."

"A wonderful initiative, don't you think?" Katryn asked pointedly. As a young adolescent she had become indebted to the government while she got quite a few doctorates in scientific fields and her daughter was experiencing the same issues.

Yasushi thought for a moment with a slight frown on his forehead before he answered. "I suppose you're right sis. Equal chances for all in our family no matter what your interest is." He nodded thoughtfully before continuing. "Ok Edaru, we have discussed all mattes now except those of our father's financial savings. Does he have more surprises for us in store?"

It turns out there were not many more surprises left. The money was divided between Kathryn, so she could fund her scientific research, Jinsei, so he could build a house for himself and the 'Dream trust fund', so that the current youngest generation could start investing in their future.

Edaru did caution Sarachi, his brothers and cousins. "Be advised when you access this trust fund. There is a limited amount of money you can withdraw within a period of time and once you have a source of income all the money you used must be paid back in the trust fund. Also everyone who has ever drawn on this trust fund will have to contribute to sustaining it to make sure future generations will be able to benefit from it as well." After these words and conveying a final message of Musashi, Edaru ended the reading of the will.

As soon as the reading was over and everyone got ready to leave Yasushi asked everyone that worked for the family farm to stay for a while. He did so indirectly by saying, "I know you are all hungry after this morning filled with words, but I wish to discuss the future of the family farm before we all have lunch. I propose we have a short rest and afterwards we'll meet again in this study have our discussion and enjoy lunch afterwards." Yasushi would not be denied and fifteen minutes later his wife and oldest sons and Jinsei and his wife were in Musashi's study once again. Sarachi had a bad feeling. He looked nervously at his brother before he reined himself in, schooled his expression and like the others looked questioningly at his father."I thank you all for being present during this meeting. I wish to discuss the endeavours of the near future that will hopefully make the Hyashi family business more successful. I want to tell you of my plans, but first I wish to give the floor to my son who has studied long and hard to contribute to the future of the Hyashi farm. Well son, we have waited a long time for this meeting. And I have to say I am quite interested in hearing what you plan to do in the near future. How do you wish to contribute to the future of the family business?"

Sarachi sighed inwardly. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke. "To be honest dad I don't wish to be involved any further until I can start with my project. I want to use some of the money grandpa left us in the trust fund to go travel for a while."

"What do you mean?" His father asked with an incredulous look. "What do you mean you want to travel for a bit?" His voice had a certain edge to it.

Sarachi got a sinking feeling. _I knew it. All he wanted was for me to give in to his plans and be the loyal son again. Why did I think it could ever be different?_ He steeled himself and answered carefully keeping his voice level. "Just that I think that I am not meant to spend years working as a farmhand, factory worker, juice recipe chef or something else. I want to do something I am passionate about."

His father on the other hand started to get riled up. "You mean you don't want to work for something worthwhile? I don't understand son. You need to earn a living don't you? And why can you not do that work to lay the foundation for something that will benefit us all. I see no reason to waste funds on going on a pleasure trip while you could help build something valuable right here."

Sarachi felt his control slipping. "Pleasure trip? Not willing to work for something worthwhile?" he repeated in a cold voice. "I have worked my ass of at University Avignon to get ready to contribute to the family business. I abandoned my dreams so I could contribute to yours! But I picked myself up after you crushed my dreams with your words of reality and sensibility. I found a new calling while I was away from home. I found my purpose in contributing to the family farm in my own way. But what did you say when I got back?!"

Everyone looked shocked. While he spoke Imari's look became more and more worried. She softly said "Oh dear," as Sarachi continued.

"What did you say dad? 'The world isn't ready for your dream.' You wanted me to assume a roll you have devised for me yet again. Well I've had enough. Enough of you planning my life for me and telling me what to do! No more! I'm a grown man and I will live my life my way!" While he said this he started moving to the door.

"Don't you walk away from me boy! We will settle this matter here and now. We will find a roll for you here and when you can start your project in a few years you'll be happy that you listened to me."

"I am not a boy anymore dad. A boy left all those years ago. He was uncertain of how he would live and who he would be. I'm not uncertain anymore. Today a man sets out to travel. And you know what else?! I have decided to live the dream you made me abandon all those years ago. I will become a Pokémon trainer! I will become the best trainer this family or the world will ever see! And I'll come back when the world," Sarachi made air quotes, "is ready for my dream." He took his final steps towards the door and opened it.

Yasushi was furious "If you walk away now son, don't expect to see us ready for your dream when you come back!"

Sarachi turned around and responded in a soft but level voice. "Well I guess I have no reason to come back then. Bye dad." And saying these words he crossed the threshold and slammed the door shut. Standing outside he paused for a while. Shocked by what he had done he slightly sagged against the door. He felt as if he had ripped himself in two. _Why! Why could he never be supportive?! Why did it always have to be his way or the highway? Well I guess I always feared it would end this way._ He gathered his wits and started moving. A slow walk turned into a jog and before he realised it he was running up the stairs to his brother's room. He burst in and started packing. He snatched a duffle bag and large backpack from his trunk. For a moment he stared at both. He definitely didn't want to take his trunk. He wanted mobility. In the end he decided for his backpack and he started throwing in clothes. Jeans, sweaters, shirts, shorts, underwear all followed each other in rapid succession into his backpack. A quick trip to the bathroom got him his toiletries, which were mostly his toothbrush, toothpaste, some soap, and his brush and comb. He added his favourite towel and his bag of toiletries to the clothes, strapped his sleeping-bag to his backpack and slung it on his back. He snatched Sabre's pokéball and a charger for his phone and stepped towards the door only to pause at the threshold. After a few seconds of thought he came back and took his weapons harness from the trunk. _Just a few more things,_ he thought. He descended the stairs in a blur, raced through to kitchen to grab some provisions for the road, and rushed to the porch where he had left Sabre with Alessa at the beginning of the family meeting. As soon as he came close he started calling her. "Sabre!" Hearing her partner's call and the urgency in his voice Sabre jumped up from where she had been lounging near Alessa who had been reading a book. By the time he got to the porch she was waiting for him, a questioning look on her feline features. Alessa stood behind Sabre a look of astonishment on her face.

"Sarachi? What is going on? Why are you packed?"

"I'm leaving. I'm sorry Alessa I can't stay another minute." He knelt in front of Sabre and showed her pokéball. "We're leaving girl. Want to walk with me or will you go in the pokéball?" Sensing Sarachi's need for traveling fast she set a paw on the pokéball. "Allright girl. As soon as I can I'll let you out again Sabre. I promise. Return Sabre." _One more stop,_ he thought as he turned saying, "I'll see you around 'Lessa." And off he went again. This time it was the dojo. At the entrance he put his backpack down and took out his weapons harness. He surveyed the dojo while he walked in reverently, mentally saying goodbye to the place that had been his refuge for many days of stress and doubt. He picked his favourite training blades put them in the harness and strapped it to his back. Afterwards he left the dojo with a respectful bow, slung his backpack on his back again and left without looking back. He walked down the path that had seen him return home for what seemed a lifetime ago. _Had it really been less than a week?_ Now he turned towards the open road again. He did not know whether he would ever come back. All he knew is that he would never again chain himself to a life someone else had devised for him. As that thought entered his head it was as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Choosing his route carefully he left the path that led to the bus stop where a shuttle bus rode between Rubello town, Crossgate town and Fortree city. He had decided to hike through the hills to Fortree city. He knew it would lift his spirits to be close to nature. He always enjoyed walking out there in the forested hills on his own. It was no different this time as he sought his own path without being badgered by anyone. As he walked a song eventually came to him and while he hummed he purposefully strode on game trails and hiking trails he knew like the back of his hand. It felt like ages ago since he felt this free. The sunlight filtered through the leaves and he could hear the murmuring of a few small rapid streams that ran down the hills toward a wider river that in turn ran towards the larger mass of water that surrounded the Hoenn continent. He hardly noticed the passing of time as he just breathed and simply enjoyed being. He enjoyed the warmth, the sight of Pokémon all around and the breeze that made the branches of the trees sway gently to a music one might be able to imagine if one paused to pay attention to listen to the sounds of the forest. It was about an hour past noon when he started to get hungry. He kept walking on, but started looking for a nice spot to sit down, have a bite to eat and refill his water bottle. In other words he needed a spot near a stream. It wasn't long until he started to recognize some landmarks that indicated he would be leaving the forest soon. He knew a stream with clear water that ran at the edge of the forest and that happened to be nearby. He altered his route a bit and before he knew it he heard the gurgling of the stream. A few minutes later he entered a clearing where a stream ran through a clear basin of water. He set down his pack in the shade of a tree and took Sabre's pokéball from his belt. He released her after taking some of the fruit and fresh nanab bread he had taken from the kitchen. The purloin appeared in a red flash and took in her surroundings. She settled her gaze on Sarachi and with a "Purrrrloin?" she seemed to ask what was going on.

Sarachis sighted as he gave Sabre some Figy berries, one of her favourite types. "Well, it is as I had feared girl. Dad just wouldn't listen. I guess you could say we had a fight. The way it turned out I just couldn't stay there any longer. I'm not so sure we'll ever go back." He paused for a moment and surveyed the area lost in thought for a moment as if he only just realised what other consequences his actions might have. Sabre tilted her head and stretched before she tapped his knee. He returned his gaze to her with a wistful smile and continued. "But let's think of all the possibilities. We are on our way to see our friend Tageki again. And we may not have pokéballs and other useful trainers' items I consider this to be the real start of our Pokémon journey. Remember Draco's battles Sabre? Well, we are going to become an elite team you and I. But we will surpass even Draco, you'll see." At these words Sabre got a fierce look in her eyes and she crouched and started rolling her shoulders as if getting ready for a battle. Seeing this Sarachi laughed. "That's the spirit Sabre. We'll have to train hard and find strong and good team members. But first things first, after our little break here we'll continue on our way to Fortree city. It's a city amongst the treetops of a forest. You'll love it there. We'll eat a bit and catch the night bus to Lilycove city. Once there we'll have to find a boat to take us to Olivine and Tageki. After that…? I guess we'll just have to decide then. We should pick a good region to start our journey. One that gives us a chance to start building a strong team from the native Pokémon, is not too far away and offers ample opportunities to gain battle experience. But look at us, lounging the day away while daydreaming. That won't do. I'll finish eating and drinking, refill our water and then we can be on our way again." Sabre consented with a fierce "Purrr!"

Once they were moving again it didn't take our duo long to reach the edge of the forest. They broke the covers of the trees on the crest of a hill that looked out on route 119. There was still a ways to go yet, but Sarachi knew they would be able to get to Fortree city in time. After descending the hill swiftly they reached the more easily traversable walking path of route 119. They altered their pace a bit throughout the afternoon. At times when there was not that much around to see they moved with a firm pace, but whenever they saw Pokémon they slowed their walk and looked at their goings about with interest. They saw several Tropius among bordering trees, big and small. They also saw a flock of Swablu in the sky and a couple of Linoone's frolicking around in the tall grass. And with a lot of luck they saw an Absol racing past. It seemed on the hunt. Some people considered it a bad omen to see an Absol, but Sarachi had always deemed that to be a silly superstition. Moreover he had always thought Absol to be an extremely cool Pokémon. When the afternoon was nearly gone they were in the vicinity of Fortree city. They had not seen a lot of people about, but as they got closer to the city it got busier. Some were just out walking. A few passed them on bikes. And some were clearly trainers that were either battling or training. Some of these seemed to be on the lookout for new opponents and just before they were about to cross into town a cocky looking trainer approached them with a few friends in tow. He had sandy hair, a few freckles and dark eyes that looked fierce.

"I challenge you to a battle trainer!" he yelled before he had reached them. Sarachi looked behind him puzzled. As he saw no one, he turned back a sudden realisation dawning on him. He looked like a typical trainer with his backpack and Sabre walking beside him. When the trainer stood in front of them he held out his hand and said, "Hey, my name is Connor and I'm getting ready for my next gym badge so give me all you got. Got it?!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Connor, but you'll have to find another opponent I'm afraid."

"What do you mean? A trainer can't refuse a challenge unless his Pokémon are fainted or seriously ill. Your Purrloin seems fine to me."

Sarachi smiled at the enthusiasm of Connor. "You're right, but you made a mistake Connor. You see I'm not a registered Pokémon trainer."

"But …"

"I know. Sabre looks quite fearsome and like a capable battle veteran." At these words bystanders started sniggering and some laughed openly. "But I'm speaking the truth. If I were a registered trainer I would wipe the floor with you though," Sarachi said with a wink. "My name is Sarachi, by the way. Nice to meet you." He took the hand a confused Connor was still holding out to him and he shook it.

At this action Sarachi's words registered with Connor. He barked a laugh saying, "I like your attitude Sarachi! I hope we'll meet again when you're an official trainer. I can't wait to let you put your words to the test." He returned Sarachi's firm handshake. "So, where do you plan to start your journey Sarachi?"

Sarachi sensed the underlying question: 'when will we meet again?' "I'm not sure yet Connor. I have to take into account the amount of money I have and the Pokémon of each region. Don't worry though if you ever plan on participating in a tournament in Hoenn someday I'll find you."

"Cool. Well Sarachi. Good luck on your journey and as soon as you start hurry and catch up you hear me. I'd like to battle someone with your attitude."

"Sure thing Connor, be seeing you!"

And with these words they parted ways. Connor went in search of other trainers to challenge and Sarachi entered the wondrous treetop city that was Fortree city.

"What do you think Sabre?" Sarachi aked. His companion seemed to be intrigued taking in the houses built within the leafy confines of the trees. Sarachi had been to Fortree before, but he still enjoyed the way the city was built in such a way that it resonated harmoniously with nature. It had been an inspiration for his farming ideas. As he looked around he saw a sign that indicated one set of trees that supposedly housed the Pokémon centre of Fortree as well as several restaurants and sleeping accomodations. His stomach growled. "Well, let's get some food first, right? Afterwards we'll figure out the bus schedule." They climbed the tree and walked down several of ramparts, walking past a poké-mart and the pokécentre searching for a nice and affordable place to eat. While they were searching Sarachi thought, _I should have asked that Connor boy if he knew anywhere good to eat. Usually trainers quickly got to know cheap places to stay and eat in any city. Living cheap was their lifestyle._ They walked past several establishments, but none of them seemed to be within their budget and Sarachi did not want to start off his journey with unnecessary high expenses. He only had enough for the night bus, dinner for a few nights and the boat fare from Lilycove to Olivine city. For the first time Sarachi started doubting his decision to leave his home as abruptly as he had. If he had only arranged his finances with Edaru before he had left he wouldn't have to worry about money. Eventually Sarachi decided to go back to the pokécentre. He walked in and a familiar voice greeted him.

"Hey Sarachi! Still around then?"

Sarachi's eyes quickly found Connor among a group of trainers sitting at a table. He walked up to them and saying, "I guess so. Here to rest your Pokémon?"

"Yup! I've won a few more matches today before I decided to call it a day. It's time to rest and chow," Connor said with a grin on his face.

"Good idea," Sarachi agreed. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know a good place to eat that is cheap would you?"

"Why don't you sit with us?"

"Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to impose," Sarachi said while looking at the other trainers. "Besides, I thought only trainers were allowed to use the facilities of the centres."

"Don't sweat it. My friends won't mind, right?" All the trainers nodded an affirmative. "As for the food, you may be right, but if we share what we have no one can object… I think" He rubbed his chin a thoughtful look on his face. It cleared up quickly. "Guess we'll just have to find out." The cocky grin was back on his face.

Sarachi laughed. "Ok, if you insist." After setting down his pack he sat down in the only free spot left at the table. "But if I am to share your food I want to know who I should be thanking. As you undoubtedly know now, I am Sarachi. My lovely companion is named Sabre." He paused looking around the circle waiting for the others to introduce themselves.

"Ritchie," a tall and muscular dark-skinned boy said with a deep voice as he nodded towards him.

"Kim," the only girl in the group, a cute young blonde girl, looked curiously at him as she introduced herself.

"I'm Rob," said a slim brown haired boy with a pair of glasses on.

"And I am Mike," said a boy who closely resembled Connor, yet seemed to be a bit younger. He noticed the look of recognition in Sarachi's eyes. "Yes, I am Connor's brother"

"We decided to do our journey together," Connor explained. As a group their outfits and gear seemed to be a bit more modern than what he had seen other trainers carry around.

"You guys aren't from this region, are you?" asked Sarachi a sly look in his eyes.

They all laughed as Connor said, "Nope. We are from Unova. We wanted a bit of an adventure, so we decided to start our journey in a region far from home. What gave us away?"

"Well, your accents were a dead giveaway and your gear also looks a bit different from what I usually see around."

"Very observant," Connor said. "I hadn't noticed those badass blades on your back the first time I met you Sarachi, are they decorative?"

"Definitely not, they're training blades" Sarachi said. He grinned and winked as he continued. "And I know how to use them."

"Sweet," Mike and Rob said in unison.

"So, where are you from Sarachi?" Kim asked. "We heard you planned on starting a Pokémon journey as well. Are you from around here?"

"Indeed I am. But before I'm going to start my journey I'm going to meet a friend in Olivine city."

"Johto region? Cool!"

In this way the group spent the evening getting to know one another as they enjoyed a nice meal. During the meal Sarachi checked the bus schedule for the nightbus. He found out it would leave around 9:15 PM. So after dinner they decided to walk around in Fortree city for a bit. After they begged him to do so, Sarachi gave them a small demonstration of his skill. When it was about 9 PM Sarachi bade his new friends farewell and started towards the bus station. "Hope to see you guys soon!" he shouted as they left in the opposite direction towards the pokécentre.

As he walked to the bus station it was getting dark and lanterns were lighting up alongside of the road. Upon reaching the station he checked his phone for messages. He saw some voice messages from home judging by the number and some text messages from an unknown number. He decided to read those first as he waited for the bus to arrive. They were relatively short. _'Hey Sarachi, this is my new mobile number. Call me as soon as you've made plans. Tageki.'_ Sarachi smiled and dialled the number. He did not have to wait long before someone picked up."Bladeboy! What's up?"

"Well wiseguy, I'm on my way. I'm taking the night bus from Fortree to Lilycove city and tomorrow I'll be on a boat bound for Olivine city. Depending on the type of boat it will take me about half a week to get there, maybe one."

"Great, I can't wait to see you."

"Me too, well see you soon. Bye!"

"Safe journey Sarachi."

After that brief talk he started listening to the voice messages from home.

"Sarachi, I know things didn't turn out the way you wanted but will you please come back, I'm sure we can make something work." It was his mum. He listened to another message. "Hello dear, I didn't know you were so strongly against working with me and on the farm." _Crap, she sounded hurt._ He had never wanted to hurt his mother. "If this is what you truly want son I'll support you, but will you please call me back?" _And worried too. Shit. I should call her back immediately. But what if he picks up?_ Right now his father was the last person he wanted to talk to. _Still I have to risk it._ He called.

"Sarachi, oh I was so worried. Are you okay honey?" She sounded relieved and worried at the same time.

"I'm ok mom. I'm so sorry for leaving like that mom. I'm so sorry that I caused you to worry. I just couldn't stay any longer." After he uttered those words it was quiet for a few seconds.

"You're not coming home then," Imari concluded.

"Not for a while mom. It's like grandpa said. I need to walk my own path. Tonight I'm taking the nightbus to Lilycove and from there I'll go to Olivine city to meet Tageki. And after that… I haven't decided yet. But I promise I'll call you and whenever you want you can call me. If I don't pick up please ask me to call back on a specific time? I don't think I want to speak to dad for a while."

"I … ok. I understand. I love you son. Your father does too. He just needs some time to realize that you are your own man now. He truly believes that his way is the best way for you. But even if that were the truth he must accept that you make your own decisions now. Take care son. And know that we're always there for you. Your dad may need some time to come to terms with your plans. But no matter what he said please know that you are always welcome in our house."

Sarachi got a bit choked up at that. "Thanks mom," he said with his voice thick of emotion. "I'll remember that. I'll stay in touch. I promise. Love you!"

"Love you son. Goodbye."

He had hardly said goodbye before he saw the lights of the night bus in the distance. "Well at least we can start our adventure knowing mom is ok with it, right Sabre?"

"Purrr loin".

Sarachi snapped Sabre's pokéball from his belt saying, "Pokémon are not allowed out of their pokéballs on public transport so you'll have to stay in your ball for a while. Sleep tight Sabre and I'll see you in Lilycove." He held the pokeball in front of Sabre and while nodding she tapped the pokéball as he said, "return."

Merely seconds later the bus stopped in front of them and the doors opened. Sarachi bought a ticket and walked to his sleeping bunk. The night bus was filled with these. There were not many people aboard and secretly Sarachi was glad of that. He was pretty tired and he usually had a hard time falling asleep in those bunks especially if fellow passengers were noisy sleepers. And the fewer travellers there were on the bus the smaller the chance would be that one of them would fall in that category he thought. He installed himself and his luggage and closed his eyes hoping to fall asleep soundly. Just as he started to feel asleep though, he heard it. A loud and sudden snore. He groaned inwardly. _Please let that be the last of it,_ he said to himself. No sooner had that thought entered his mind than the snoring continued in a regular rhythm. Sarachi's eyes flew open and he balled his fists. _NOOO!_

The bus drove on.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	8. Chapter 8

*If you have read all my previous chapters I thank you for your sticking with me. I started this story as way to practice my writing skills. It is my goal to apply those skills in writing my very own epic stories. I have more than a few cool ideas in my head but lack the experience of seasoned writers.

Having said that I do not plan on giving up and I want to ask you, the reader, for feedback on how I am doing so far as a writer. All constructive feedback is welcome whether they are technical tips, things about character development, plot development, pacing of the story, etc. I am willing to learn and generate nice stories for you to enjoy.

Thank you all for reading,

Chris Arsajan

P.s. I've had this cool idea to make the story more interactive. So, if you want to have an influence on the story, send me your idea or writing challenge and I will try my best to get it into the story as soon as possible ;) *

Chapter 8 A short adventure in Lilycove city

It was quite early when the sun rose out of the ocean in a beautiful sunrise. The bay of Lilycove glittered and the sky was painted in orange and yellow hues and the cries of numerous Wingull could be heard from the harbour. The scene, fit for immortalization on canvas, was all but entirely wasted on Sarachi. He had stepped from the night bus bleary-eyed and thoroughly annoyed at snoring people. Halfway through the night he had given up on sleeping and decided to meditate instead. This had allowed his body and mind to relax even if the blessed release of sleep had eluded him. Still, Sarachi did not feel energized as he made his way to the docks with Sabre at his side. "Ugh, I hope you are rested girl, because I am not."

"Purr?" Sabre glanced at her trainer sideways.

"Well, no sense in moaning about the blight of snorers on public transport. As soon as we have fixed our crossing to Olivine city I can eat and rest." With that positive thought he walked into the first office he could find near the docks that advertised ferry services to other cities and towns. There were trips to Mosdeep city and Sootopolis city and even multistage trips via the former ones to Pacifidlog town. Sarachi shrugged. It would make sense that not every ferrying company would travel long distances. He still walked to the front desk where a bored looking bearded man in a flannel shirt with glasses observed his approach.

"Can I help you, young sir?" he said in a monotone voice.

"I hope so. Could you tell me whether there are any companies who facilitate budget trips to Olivine City?"

"Hmm, Olivine city you say?" His brow furrowed and he looked up for a few seconds before answering. "I'm sorry to say that I can't tell. I've just started working here. I know of three other ferry companies, but I don't think any of them has any vessels in port that can make the trip to Olivine city. Let's see, there is Sharpedo trips, Wailordeen and uhm … Pelipy's ferries." The man barely contained a yawn. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Well, could you tell me where I might find the offices of those companies?"

The clerk at the desk looked slightly abashed. "Right. Well, you'll find them further along the docks."

"Okaay," Sarachi said slowly and deliberately. "Thank you for the info, sir. Have a nice day!" And he turned around and left the shop. _Well, that is off to a good start._ Sarachi took a right and as he and Sabre walked down the street that lay parallel to the quay where numerous boats were moored he looked around for signs that could point him in the direction of the other ferry companies. He had barely walked ten minutes when he saw a sign with a Sharpedo depicted on it. There were a few large vessels moored near the building although most of the vessels seemed boats that were built for speed. Some looked large enough to make a long voyage, not that he had any experience in the manner. Still, with rekindled hope he entered the building and walked straight up to the front desk.

"Good morning, what can I help you with good sir? We have some nice trips going to Mosdeep and Sootopolis today." The woman at the desk spoke lively and very quick.

"Well, actually …"

"Oh, you already bought a ticket online? What is your reservation number?"

Sarachi chuckled slightly as an image of a Pachirisu with a caffeine overdose entered his mind. "No," he said firmly, "I am looking for someone who provides trips to Olivine city."

The joyful expression of the woman at the desk, Irma according to her nametag, switched from joyful to thoughtful. "Well, I'm sorry to say that I we at Sharpedo trips cannot help you with that. We facilitate tours of the harbour and the coastline and trips to Sootopolis and Mosdeep city. You might find a connection from Sootopolis, but I cannot guarantee it." She shot Sarachi a questioning look.

"Hmm, to be honest I was hoping for a direct connection. I actually need to be there in 3 days' time, five days max."

"Ooh, well in that case I advise you to try Wailordeen. They have the largest vessels that are not in the premium price range. I know they do a limited amount of trips to Olivine when it is the right season. Something to do with the tides and currents and stuff. If you exit the shop and go to the right it is about 15 minutes walking." Sarachi thanked Irma and left the shop.

"And the search continues, right Sabre?"

"Purr." Sabre seemed to sense his optimism was slowly decreasing.

About 20 minutes later he stood in front of the sea-facing office of Wailordeen. He sighed. So far he had not been lucky. He had stumbled on Pelipy's along the way and figured he could try them as he was there anyway. Fortune had not favoured him. The laid back teen that manned the booth for his father said that none of their trips went as far as Olivine and hinted that he would not have much luck at Wailordeen. Something to do with the currents of the current season. Sarachi did not care much for the way the morning was turning out. He was puzzled though. He had seen a huge vessel at the end of the quay of the harbour while walking from Pelipy's to Wailordeen. If any ship was large enough to make it to the Johto region it would be that one. Yet none of the offices he had visited had mentioned it. _Oh well, maybe the fourth time is the charm._ Sarachi thought wryly to himself as he entered the shop. At first glance the offers definitely seemed to be more extensive than those of the other travel offices he had visited. Slightly hopeful again Sarachi walked up to the tall, muscular blond man behind the counter.

"G-morning mate, name's Jake, what can I help you with?"

"Well Jake, seeing as you are the last ferry company in Lilycove I was really hoping you could help me get a trip to Olivine city."

"Olivine city you say? I wish I could help you mate. But our vessels are not strong enough to withstand the currents in this season. You see this time of year there is a cross current along the route from the 'Cove' here to Olivine. If you had been a week earlier you would have made the last trip."

"Damn, are you sure Jake? Is there really no way to get to Olivine city from here?"

"Well, it all depends on how much you are willing to pay mate. See, there are some premium travel companies that facilitate cruises. The cruise ships are strong enough and have a powerful enough engine to power through the currents. But they ask a hefty fee for their tickets. Mind you it is a sweet journey if you manage to get on one of those party boats. Food entertainment and even gym, wellness and spa facilities."

"Ok," Sarachi said hesitantly. "Any idea what the price might be?" He knew that he would probably be able to pay if he had access to his inheritance, but that point was moot now.

"Let's see … honestly my lowest estimate for the cheapest ticket would be about 4k bud, sorry." Jake had already correctly assumed that Sarachi would not be able to buy a ticket for that amount of money. Sarachi wasn't sure he would pay it even if he had the money. It seemed such a waste to him to spend that much money on a trip of a small week. "Yeah, it's the privileged rich snobs who usually get on those ships buddy."

"And you're telling me that there is no other way to get to Olivine whatsoever?"

"Not from Lilicove. You could get a plane ticket, for around 500 to travel from Mauville to a local airport in Johto." Sarachi's face fell. "Not an option for you either, eh? Well, there is one other thing you could try. Mind you the chances of success are astronomically small. Have you seen that humongous ship at the edge of the harbour?" Sarachi nodded. "Yeah? Well the booking office of 'Milotic's Majesty' is near it. You could try going straight to their office and see if they need any last minute personnel. Sometimes people get sick or accidents happen and the cruise is suddenly short of staff. I myself have been able to get on board of a cruise that way once. It was magical mate, simply magical". Jake's eyes lost focus and he smiled as he stared in the distance for a few seconds.

"Sounds amazing, I've got nothing to lose, so … sure. I'll give it a go Jake. Where is that office?"

"I'll give you a map of the harbour." A few minutes later Sarachi left the shop with map in hand.

"Thanks Jake!" he shouted as he turned and waved goodbye.

"Sure thing! Good luck!"

Jake had shown him two routes to his destination. Apparently he could walk through the harbour along the docks or he could walk through a particular seedy part of the city that inconveniently split the good part of the port city from the most luxurious part of the city. Since Sarachi never had any fear concerning being mugged and he figured there would be no danger in clear daylight, he decided to take the more adventurous walk. It was still a couple of hours before noon as he walked through several narrow alleys with large windows along the sides. The alleys were utterly devoid of people and he and Sabre walked on in relative silence that was only broken by the sound of his footsteps. There were coloured lights above the large arching windows. Some had curtains in front of them. He wondered what type of shops they were as there seemed to be no items for sale and all the shops were closed. A little further the final alley broadened and he saw new shops. And as he saw the signs outside of them he blushed as he realised what the large windowed rooms were for. Left and right the signs read 'Sex shop', 'Pagoda Rosado', 'Sex shows' and other variations of these terms that made it blatantly clear what kind of neighbourhood he was walking through. The forms of the neon signs on the walls, doors and windows of these establishments were quite graphic in portraying the female form in all its glory. These buildings seemed to be alternated with seedy bars, pubs and cafés. He walked on, trying not to stare at the open display of sexuality all around him. After a short while he noticed that other shops popped up. Junk food corners, cafés and some souvenir shops. Although it was very quiet as he made his way through the alleys he did not doubt that at night they would be filled with people looking for an exciting time. As he got closer to what he assumed would be the 'better' part of the city he noticed that the alleys sloped upwards as if walking down those paths was literally a descent into sin. He also observed an increase in what he would call normal establishments. He even saw a few hostels and restaurants; some of which showed a breakfast menu on their menu boards. Despite feeling slightly out of place he had to chuckle at the creative names that were displayed. 'Sailor's delight', 'Your morning after' and 'The hangover doctor' were but a few of the names. Switching his gaze from the shops alongside him he looked ahead and noticed that not far from where he stood, a wall seemed to indicate a rather abrupt transition in the city's scenery. Through an archway the road lead to what was considered to be the good part of the city. He approached it and was struck by the two constructions that seemed to come out of the wall. A large sign written in cursive letters stood out in a beautiful mural depicting oceanic views and burlesque dancers in a slightly erotic yet tasteful design. The sign read 'The gateway to Risqué' and a few people were sitting at tables enjoying breakfast in the sun. They were dressed in casual but very chic looking clothes and they were served by very classy looking waiters. As he smelt the food his stomach rumbled. _Later_ , he thought to himself, _first I need to fix a spot on that cruiseship. Then I can eat._ As he entered the gateway he overheard some voices behind him.

The first one clearly belonging to a young woman said with a strong British accent, "Pappa can we explore the district a bit?"

"Of course you can love, as long as you two stay together, you hear me? And don't walk too far into those narrow alleyways. Remember what the tour guide said. Stay in the touristy part of the district. The further you descend into the Risqué district the rougher the people. I don't want you getting into trouble, understood?"

Sarachi snorted. _Rich people. Interested in experiencing the Risqué world, but terrified of negative experiences or gods forbid getting to deeply involved. Nothing would happen in broad daylight if you kept an eye on your surroundings and didn't take unnecessary risks._

He and Sabre left the Risqué district behind them and were astounded by the change of scenery. Everywhere he could see were fancy shops with designer clothes and jewellery. _So that is what the posh district was like._ He felt completely out of place. "Come on Sabre. Let's pick up the pace and get to 'Milotic's Majesty'. The sooner we have passage the sooner we can go and eat something. We'll have to walk back again for a cheaper meal though, I bet anything here is grossly overpriced."

After about another ten minutes of walking the road curved and continued along the quay of the harbour. He suddenly saw the cruise ship from close by. It was enormous. After staring at it admiringly for a few moments Sarachi started scanning his surroundings for the booking office. As soon as the building caught his eye he straightened his back, said a silent prayer for luck and started moving forward. A sign outside indicated no Pokémon were allowed inside. Sarachi smiled apologetically to Sabre.

"I'm sorry girl. I guess you'll just have to wait in your ball until I get outside again."

He returned Sabre to her pokéball and entered the building. He had barely done so when a voice brought him to heel. "I'm sorry sir, but I do believe you are in the wrong place," a well-dressed clerk addressed Sarachi.

"What do you mean?" Sarachi asked surprised.

"Well, the budget tour organizers are located on the other end of town. You see, this establishment is primarily for a different clientele." Sarachi was stunned. _Was the man trying to kick him out of the building simply because he did not look like a pampered rich boy?_

"Thank you, sir. I know. I've just been on the other side of town. I however wanted to ask whether you might be hiring personnel for 'Milotic's Majesty' on its journey to Olivine city."

The man looked at him incredulously. "Hiring? For that sort of thing you will need to talk with the hiring manager. However, as far as I know all positions have been filled, so there is no need to trouble her."

Sarachi refused to give up. "Can I talk to her anyway? I'm sure there is something that I might be able to do. You don't even have to pay me. All I want is room and board for the trip to Olivine."

The look on the clerk's face was stern and unforgiving. "So, you're merely a vagabond trying to get on the ship? Out to rob our clientele are we?"

Sarachi could not believe his ears. "Why on earth would I do that on a boat where there is no escape route? Can I please just talk to the hiring manager?" Other people were starting to take notice of their argument. One of them, a young woman in a casual yet smart outfit, approached the duo.

"I can take you to the hiring manager. I'm just going in to see her." Lowering her voice she whispered to the clerk, "Don't be so uptight Paulo, sometimes you need to actually help people to get rid of them otherwise the situation escalates and clients are disturbed while they visit our office."

Paulo scoffed. "If he had become troublesome I would have let him be kicked out," he mumbled.

"Without even knowing who he is or what his background is? Rash Paulo, very rash." To Sarachi she said. "Follow me Mr …?"

"Hyashi, Sarachi Hyashi."

"Claire," the woman introduced herself as they walked to the back of the office. "Don't mind Paolo. He is a bit of an arrogant snob. Thinks he can judge people by how they look and dress. You've got guts though, trying to get a job on a cruise ship like this. Usually they have an extensive hiring protocol. Why did you take this approach if I may ask?"

Sarachi quickly explained his need to get to Olivine city quickly and reasoned why this was the only opportunity he had left.

"Hmm. I'll be honest with you. I don't estimate your chances to be high, but hey a shot never taken is a shot missed." She smiled. "Now I need to talk to the manager about something, so you can wait outside until we're done and then you can try to charm her."

They had reached a door. Claire knocked and a loud voice answered. "Who is it?!" The woman sounded annoyed.

"Mrs. Nubotu, it's Claire. I need to…"

"Ah, come in Claire!" The tone was lighter instantly.

Claire went in as she motioned Sarachi to wait. There was a bench and Sarachi sat down as Claire entered the office to talk to Mrs. Nubotu. Sarachi could hear their voices conversing for a few minutes as he waited patiently. Suddenly the volume increased. "What do you mean he's sick! He has at least three series of classes and a show each day starting on day two of the voyage!" There was a slight pause before Claire apparently explained the situation. Afterwards Mrs. Nubotu's voice could be heard again. "Well he can kiss his privileged position goodbye." After another pause and a short conversation Claire came out again.

"Well, you can speak to Mrs. Nubotu for a while, but she's not in the best mood. Something to do with the news I had to bring. I'm sorry." She had an apologetic look in her eyes. "I've got to go now. I'm leading a tour in the Risqué district for some of our clients that will leave tonight. Good luck though."

"Thanks Claire. I appreciate it." He knocked on the door.

"Come in Mr. Sarachi! I don't have all day." Sarachi entered and closed the door behind him. He suddenly felt as if he was in high school in the principal's office for doing something wrong. "So, Claire told me you wanted to work on our finest cruise ship for board and passage to Olivine city. What are your qualifications? Have you ever worked on a cruise ship before?" She spoke with authority rivalling that of a drill sergeant.

"I have never really worked on a cruise ship madam. But I'm a hard worker and a quick study."

She sighed. "You seem like a good and respectable young man. In all honesty though, I cannot in good conscience get you a place on board of this luxury cruise ship if you have no experience in the field. Our clients expect the best and we do not have enough hands to spare someone tutoring you all the while."

"So, there is no way?"

"I'm sorry."

15 minutes and a disappointing phone call with the notary Edaru later Sarachi was sitting in front of one of the restaurants in the Risqué district of town. He wanted cheap breakfast and that is where they had it. The 'Sailor's delight' had a promising breakfast menu so he picked a spot, set down his backpack and ordered the first thing that looked appealing. It was a breakfast special with scones, a bagel and an omelette with a choice of spreads that came with a large drink of choice. Sabre was enjoying some of his leftover berries while he waited for his order to arrive. He was thinking about his options. According to Edaru he could have access to the trust fund tomorrow at the earliest, but it would require visiting a bank and filling in all kinds of forms. Plus there was no telling how long the administrative process would take. He cursed inwardly. It seems like he had no short term options. There are no ferry companies going to Olivine city from Hoenn. According to their trip schedule the Cruise ship company may have a few cruises for none luxury clients, but that would be a week from now. His final option would be to backtracking to catch a plane to Olivine from and that would take half a week to a week depending on the flight schedule of Mauville city. While he mused the waitress had brought his order. He thanked her and continued his musings. _It seems like I have only two options. Flying or staying for another cruise. And either way I will need money to pay for it. Guess I'm going to the bank to fix that as soon as I finish this 'delight'._ He smiled ruefully before he set his frustration aside. _There is nothing to be done about it. I may as well enjoy this meal and then do what needs doing._

As he dug into his bagel and omelette, a couple of men walked by that were in a heated argument. "What do you mean you lost her! I told you to stay together!"

"It's not my fault, dad! I wanted to go into this store and she didn't and when I got out of the store she was gone."

"Well, we better find her or your mother is going to tear us apart! Now bring me to that store you visited last. If we search from there we should find her soon enough I hope."

Sarachi snorted again. _Rich people. Guess they have their problems and I have mine. But mine will wait until after breakfast._ And with those thoughts he continued tearing up his bagel and scooping up the omelette slices he had cut. He had hardly finished his bagel and omelette when loud screaming drew his attention. "Ieieiej! Help! Let go of my bag you wanker!" Sarachi was startled. It was coming from farther in the district. A gruff voice answered her.

"Shut up bitch or I'll take more than your bag."

"Shit! Help he's got a knife!"

Sarachi startled. _Fuck! That could get ugly!_ "Stay with my bag Sabre!" He jumped up, grabbed his weapons harness with his sparring blades and started running towards the sound. Following the screaming he traversed a few alleys that wound away from the main route between the good side of the city and the rich side. The scene he came upon shocked him straight into his battle mind. A young woman was being held from behind in a bear hug by a really tall muscular unsavoury looking character while she still held onto the shredded straps of her bag that lay at the feet of a second man who was brandishing a nasty looking knife. There were two other men leering at her beside the knife wielder. His mind analysed rapidly. _A hostage held by a tank of a man with his back to me. There is a knife wielder and a couple of cronies who are possibly armed. I have element of surprise and weapon of reach. I can do this. Step 1 free hostage. Step 2 negotiate for a peaceful solution._ He slid the practice longsword from his harness and rushed into action. His first strike was a strong undercut right between the big guy's legs. _This was the streets. No chivalry on the streets._ Without pause he followed his undercut up with two rapid strikes to the side of the man's face before finishing with a devastating blow on the back of his head. Before the woman or the other men knew what had happened the big man slid to the ground. He pulled the woman behind him and he positioned himself between her and the ruffians. He held his blade at the ready, point forward, and said calmly, "let's not complicate this any further guys. Just take the bag and leave." Thoroughly surprised the cronies seemed to be in favour of just that. They grabbed the bag and started walking. The knife wielder's expression went from surprise to anger only to settle on a calculating look.

"Stay here!" he snarled to his cronies. "Well stranger, you sure got the drop on us. But see, there is three of us and we have real weapons. We certainly want more from that sweet piece behind you for all this trouble she cost us. And you, well I guess we'll vent our frustrations on you first." Emboldened by their boss' words his goons drew their weapons. One had a metal rod and the other waved a switchblade saying, "we're gonna fuck you up!"

 _Shit_ He had hoped that by taking out the big guy the others would be quick to take their loot and leave. _So much for that plan._ His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings for advantages while he lifted his blade to his shoulder. He didn't like what he saw. The narrow alleyway did not leave him much space for manoeuvring. And there were only two entry ways to the alley. Still there were good points. The lack of space also limited their chances of coming at him from multiple sides. He smiled and broadened his view to be aware of all his enemies' movements. _Remember, more than 50% of a fight is mind-set._ "If that's the way you guys want to do it. Just remember I gave you an out." He tracked his opponents' movements carefully while he urged the woman to stay behind him. Suddenly the cronies sprang into action. The man with the rod who had some mean looking tattoos looking like scales and a set of fangs, scribbled over his face raised the rod and charged while the one with the switchblade advanced slightly slower to take advantage of him focusing on the former. Sarachi checked his wild swing with a powerful strike of his own before stabbing forward with enough of his weight. He aimed for the throat and less than a second later he had the satisfaction of seeing the man buckle over. He was coughing and making sounds that seemed like he was choking. He wouldn't die, but then that had never been Sarachi's intention. He just sought to incapacitate. Immediately afterwards he followed up with a diagonal strike to the left to prevent any of the men left to flank him and get inside the range of his longsword. Both men eyed the blade warily. Neither seemed too eager to test its reach.

Sarachi took notice, flashed a cocky grin and said, "You can still back out."

"You better do it you stupid freaks. And leave my bag you plug ugly cunts or this man will fuck you up!" Clearly the young woman had gotten over her fright as she spoke with authority and confidence.

Sarachi groaned inwardly. S _heesh did she have to antagonize them? He didn't want enraged streetfighters on his hand. So far he had gotten lucky._

The woman's words seemed to enrage the thief with the serrated knife.

"The serpent brotherhood will not be humiliated. Get him Skinny." And together they charged swinging their blades trying to goad him into an action against one of them that would leave him vulnerable to the other. He attempted a few strikes at their hands but they avoided those narrowly until one of his strikes hit home. Skinny with the switchblade cried as his weapon fell from his right hand. With his left though he grabbed onto Sarachi's training sword.

"Got ya, you little shit."

Sarachi startled for a split second before his training launched him forward. Grabbing his blade with his left hand in a half-sword grip he quickly wrested control back before he slammed his pommel into Skinny's throat. At the same time though, the final brute scored a slash along his left arm. He followed up with a stab to where Sarachi's face would have been if his instincts hadn't propelled him backwards while bringing up his blade to intercept. While the action saved his life the serrated knife got stuck behind his blade for a second preventing him from getting back to a proper guard. The ruffian saw his chance and jumped forward stabbing repeatedly.

 _Not good, not good. Stay focused. Drop your sword, it's of no use in close quarters. Just focus. This is simply disarming 101. Only against an opponent with a really sharp knife who happens to be a fighter from the street. Dodge you idiot! Focus!_ Sarachi started moving backwards looking slightly panicked.

"Not so tough without your toy sword, are you?" the robber sneered. Luckily his buddies were still struggling to get some air into their lungs otherwise Sarachi would have been in trouble.

 _Just let him think he has the upper hand. Retreat and then when an opportunity presents itself…_ Sarachi kept a wary eye on his surroundings waiting for his opportunity to "Strike!" Sarachi had let the robber chase him until he was standing right in front of the big robber he had downed first. Now he jumped into the strike making a high double block with his hands. He immediately forced a disarming grip whilst pushing the robber backwards. Completely surprised the ruffian tripped over his prone comrade and without giving it any pause Sarachi leaped on top of him slipping the knife under his throat.

He looked as threateningly as he could while he growled, "If I let you up, please do yourself a favour and piss off." He punctuated his final words by pushing the blade just a little bit forward.

The man looked like he could shit his pants any second. He was about to answer when another voice rang out. "Drop the knife and let the man up! Do it!"

It took a split second for the voice to get through to Sarachi. He blinked as he got of the man.

"Good, now drop the knife and back away!"

He backed away from the man but still held on to the knife. He slightly turned his head towards the voice without losing track of the men he had just bested. Once he gained what he perceived to be a safe distance from them he turned his face completely to look at the owner of the voice. He saw a smart looking blue haired officer in blue with drawn gun. Beside her a growlithe growled menacingly with his hackles raised.

"I will not say it again fiend. Drop … the … knife!"

"He's not the one you want officer. He came to my rescue when I was accosted by these unsavoury individuals."

"Wait … what?!" The officer looked perplex as she looked more intently at the other men. The unconscious man on the floor in front of the one she ordered the man with the knife to back away from and the two men who stood doubled over still struggling to breathe. All except the young man with the knife had tattoos in the form of a snake. The big guy's head was tattooed in the likeness of a Seviper. The men with the breathing issues had Arbok tats on their arms and the man lying on the floor had a Seviper bearing its fangs tattooed on his bared chest. Respect suddenly shone in her eyes.

"Did you just take down the Serpent brotherhood?"

"I guess I did," Sarachi said modestly.

"You bet your ass he did! It was amazing. He single-handedly fought his way through them to save me."

Sarachi blushed under the praise. "Maybe we should cuff them?" he offered.

"Right. We can chat later." Over the next couple of minutes Sarachi cuffed the men while the officer covered him. They were barely done when more people arrived on the scene. There were several police officers and some interested bystanders. As the other police officers secured the area, rounded up the gang and carried them off, the blue haired officer approached Sarachi who had just collected his longsword and placed it back in his weapons harness. She was beaten by the young woman he had just saved. She jumped him and hugged him as she thanked him over and over again. The police officer cleared her throat.

"I know you must be thankful miss, but could we leave the hugging for after I have taken your statements?" The woman of slender build with luscious brown locks that framed an oval shaped face harbouring a set of piercing grey eyes let go of a wildly blushing Sarachi and turned to the officer with a slightly sheepish grin. "Good, now that I have your attention, my name is Jenny and I will be taking your statements as the first officer on the scene. You may start first miss. You said he saved you? Can you give me your name and tell me in your own words what happened before I arrived on the scene?" The young woman, a tourist named Kayleigh Boleyn, explained how she had lost her way while exploring the district with her brother. She went on to describe quite graphically how the three smaller men had barred her way and tried to wrest her bag from her.

"And you didn't just drop the bag and run?" Officer Jenny shook her head. She could not believe the folly of the young lady.

"Well, I was beginning to think about it when that tosser pulled a knife on me, but then that big brute grabbed me from behind. Anyway, that is when my knight in shining armour showed up." She smiled generously to Sarachi as she went on to describe with fervour how he had single-handedly taken down three of the men with his sword. How he was disarmed and had to fight the last goon with his bare hands. "I wish I had filmed the whole thing. It was amazing."

"So mr. hero, seems like Kayleigh here was lucky that you were at the right place at the right time."

"Well not at first, officer. I was actually in the middle of eating breakfast when I heard Kayleigh yelling for help."

"You were … eating breakfast? And you just ran towards the danger without fearing the consequences? Can you explain yourself?" Sarachi was about to start when they were interrupted by a loud authoritative voice.

"Let me through! That is my daughter! Kayleigh! Are you alright love?" Kayleigh briefly looked at officer Jenny who nodded with a smile.

"Go on, dear. Go to your father. But stay near please. I have your statement but I'll want your contact info to ask for additional info if that is needed." Kayleigh thanked the officer and rushed towards her dad.

"Oh Kayleigh, we came running as soon as we heard you. You scared me. Are you ok love? They didn't hurt you?" A tall man in chic casual attire turned her left and right inspecting her.

"Dad," Kayleigh protested embarrassed.

Smiling Jenny turned back towards Sarachi. "I believe you were just about to explain yourself."

"Yes. As I said I was just eating breakfast when I heard her screaming and I just wanted to help her. When I found them I just reacted. And the rest well, it's just as Kayleigh described."

"Right. But who are you and why on earth did you think you could do anything at all? And why, pray tell, did you not just run with the girl when you had taken out the first guy?"

Sarachi explained his background in martial arts gesturing at his training blades in the weapons harness he slung from his back. He also mentioned his reasoning that turning his back on an armed opponent is unwise when he is standing less than 3 metres away.

"Ok, I suppose that makes sense from your point of view. Now, your name?"

"Sarachi Hyashi, officer Jenny."

"Hyashi," Jenny thoughtfully said out loud. "I have heard that name before…" A look of surprise flashed on her face. "Are you by any chance related to the renowned Kendo and Kenjutsu master Musashi Hysashi? That would explain your skill."

"He was my grandfather and sensei."

"I see. I will have to look over your training blades though to make sure that they are indeed in line with the weapons regulations. Once I have that clarified you will be free to go. Make sure you go to the medic who is standing by. And may I say it is an honour to meet the grandson and a pupil of Master Hyashi. MY father was a great fan and practiced Kendo and Kenjutsu as well."

Not long after Sarachi was allowed to leave. As soon as he set foot outside of the cordoned area a medic approached him to inspect the cut he had received from the knife. As the medic was patching him up he was approached by the older gentleman who had identified himself as Mr. Boleyn, the father of Kayleigh. He approached with a hand offered in handshake. "Sir Boleyn."

"Sarachi Hyashi."

"I owe you a debt mr. Hyashi. My daughter tells me that, if not for you, she might have been raped and robbed by those four scoundrels. You will not find me ungracious."

"It was nothing sir. I am glad that I could be there in a timely fashion. But I have breakfast to get back to." He smiled as he jested that the owner of the restaurant would be worried that he had run off even though he had left his bag and Pokémon behind.

"You left your breakfast behind? Well you will have to at least let me settle the bill. And if you wish it, you will be our guest for the remainder of the day."

"You are very kind sir Boleyn, but you see I actually have some things I need to get sorted. I need to arrange some financial issues and once I have I still need to decide upon a way to travel to Olivine city."

"Hmm. Alright. But you need to go to Olivine city you say? Why not travel along with us on the Milotic's Majesty? It's a cruise ship that will depart for Olivine city this night."

"Well, to be candid sir, my financial situation will not allow it. And please sir, do not offer to pay for the ticket. I could not accept such a large expense on your part for me doing something I see as my duty. If someone is in danger like miss Boleyn was today and I can help I shall. I have tried to get room and board for good honest work on the ship, but it didn't work out so I guess I'll find a different way."

"You are an admirable young man mr. Hyashi. Be sure that I will never forget this service you have done me and mark me, someday I will find a way to repay the debt. I bid you adieu and wish you the best of luck on your travels." They shook hands once more and after Kayleigh made one more show of her gratitude Sarachi returned to his breakfast where an anxious Sabre and waitress were waiting for him.

The waitress was quick to express her distress at seeing a customer just 'take off' as she expressed it. Sarachi explained the situation in a very concise manner trying to not make a big deal out of it. He should not have bothered. "So that's way the police and medics suddenly came rushing past." She eyed the bandage on his left arm that had not been there before and promptly started gushing. "Wow, you saved a young woman less than half a kilometre from this shop? We have a hero at the restaurant." She squealed slightly before she went on. "I can't wait to tell my friends about this. Can I have a picture with you?"

Sarachi was getting slightly uncomfortable. _Is this what being famous is like? Sheesh I guess I'll have to be a bit more private about what I say. I can't say that I like the attention._ "Well, ok I guess. As long as you keep it to yourself, please. I'm not really interested in having my face all over the internet with 'HERO' in big bold letters underneath it."

The waitress looked guilty as if she had been thinking exactly something along those lines. "Ehm, that is fair I guess. I can show my friends though right?"

"As long as you don't post the picture online or share it on social media or something like that."

The waitress named Gabi agreed, so Sarachi finished his meal, got inside to pay and let her take a selfie with him. Word must have gotten around though and before he knew it there was an impromptu photoshoot with all restaurant personnel wanting a picture and the manager wanting a picture on which he held his longsword at the ready. Sarachi somewhat reluctantly accepted the manager's request who had offered him a lifetime of free meals whenever he visited the restaurant in turn for having his photo displayed on his wall of fame.

If Sarachi was honest with himself he had to admit he did like the kindness of the personnel and as he left the restaurant he felt a little more at ease and he put the whole fame thing behind him thinking _How bad could it be? It's not like a photo on a wall would make him a celebrity overnight._ He also felt more energized after his adventure in the 'Risqué district' and as a result running his errant at the bank did not tax him overly much. There were a lot of forms involved and identification checks. But as the afternoon was waning when he stepped outside of the bank office he had the assurance of his new account manager that he would have access to his funds by next Wednesday at the latest. Three workdays seemed reasonable to Sarachi even though he was still puzzled as to what he was supposed to do in the meantime. He might be able to find a cheap hostel in the Risqué district and stay until there was another cruise. Or he could travel to Mauville and buy a plane ticket. He sighed as he walked along the pier. He was conflicted. Both ways seemed to take more time than he wanted and would be expensive to say the least. Still, travel expanses to Mauville plus a plane ticket seemed cheaper than getting a bed at a hostel for 5 nights and buying a cruise ticket afterwards. As Sarachi was mulling over these thoughts he had ended up in front of the quay that led to the 'Milotic's Majesty'. He sat down on a bench and stared out over the bay while Sabre jumped into his lap, stretched and laid down. He let the breeze lull him into relaxation. He had sat down his large backpack and had unslung his weapons harness and currently reclined back on the bench with his feet propped on his backpack. He was completely unaware of someone calling out his name as he slightly drowsed. He only started to take notice when someone was standing right in front of him and addressed him loudly.

"Mr. Hyashi! Unbelievable are you sleeping?" He opened his eyes slowly and squinted slightly against the light, realizing that he must have nodded off.

 _Wow, guess I was more tired than I realised_ , he thought. He blinked his eyes as he took in the woman standing in front of him, recognizing her after a short moment. "Claire. Sorry for not reacting I must have dozed off. I didn't get much sleep last night and today has been slightly taxing."

"I understand, I heard that Mrs. Nubotu did not offer you a job. I'm sorry. I'm glad I have found you though, because I think I can make your day." She uttered the final sentence with a broad smile on her face.

Sarachi looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she said gesturing towards a group of people about a hundred meters away, "I heard from a certain fan of yours that you are quite skilled with swords." Sarachi followed her gaze and settled his gaze on a young lady whom he recognized as Kayleigh Boleyn. "I can't believe I didn't notice your training blades the first time I met you," Claire continued eyeing his weapons harness. "You see just before you came in the martial artist we had contracted to give workshops and demos had suddenly cancelled for the coming trip. That was the news I was bringing Mrs. Nubotu as I brought you to her."

Sarachi was stunned. "So … you're saying…"

"We have found your job opening Sarachi. You will have to audition for Mrs. Nubotu and the manager of entertainment, but from what I have heard from ms Boleyn I believe you are more than up to the task."

"You're not joking! Thanks! That is exactly the news that I needed right now. Thanks a lot Claire!"

"You can thank Sir Boleyn and his daughter. Although I believe this is their way of thanking you. I still have a tour to lead around Lilycove city with some of our clients, but you know the way to Mrs. Nuboto's office, so get going. Once you have the job she'll have someone help you get settled in your quarters on the ship and explain your itinerary, responsibilities and the general rules of the voyage." Wishing him luck on his impromptu job interview Claire left him on the bench to get back to her responsibilities.

"Wow Sabre! Can you believe it. Fate lends a hand. It's as if we are meant to be on that ship." Sabre looked at him lazily before she stretched and jumped off his lap. "Yes! It is time to get that spot that we need to get to Olivine and Tageki. And I am willing to bet that once we have settled and our guide has explained to us all we need to know we'll be able to relax and explore the ship a bit. Things are looking up!"

Somewhere in another dimension a deep voice chuckled. "Good to see you are on your way little one. And in such bright spirits too. You will need that. For you will be tested many times. May fortune stay with you and may your fortitude never waver."

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	9. Chapter 9

*If you have read all my previous chapters I thank you for your sticking with me. I started this story as way to practice my writing skills. It is my goal to apply those skills in writing my very own epic stories. I have more than a few cool ideas in my head but lack the experience of seasoned writers.

Having said that I do not plan on giving up and I want to ask you, the reader, for feedback on how I am doing so far as a writer. All constructive feedback is welcome whether they are technical tips, things about character development, plot development, pacing of the story, etc. I am willing to learn and generate nice stories for you to enjoy.

Thank you all for reading,

Chris Arsajan

P.s. I've had this cool idea to make the story more interactive. So, if you want to have an influence on the story, send me your idea or writing challenge and I will try my best to get it into the story as soon as possible ;) *

Chapter 9 Family matters

Across the sea that divided the Johto and Kanto region from the Hoenn region a familiar character was sitting at a table outside of a restaurant in the impoverished part of the port. He was reading from a worn-out book. Just moments before Tageki had just finished dinner and now he was killing some time. He was thinking back on the brief conversation he had with his, for lack of a better word, father. He played the entire conversation back in his mind.

"Devoid of ambition as you may seem, you are my son. And I want you to find a worthy place in the world. Clearly your academic interests have not sparked your interests enough. Know that the only reason I do not dismiss your fancy outright is that you have thus far managed to keep your identity hidden while you chase whatever fantasy you have dreamed up. In that aspect you have done far better than your brother Daichi." His father's sneer was unmistakable. He had never liked his impulsive brother who was older by just a few minutes. "I ask you to reconsider Hayato. I'm sure we can find you a position within one of our … ventures."

"I'm grateful that you would trust me with a position sir. However I hope that by seeing the world I may find my passion. And in doing so, I hope to find my place in the family ranks."

"So you wish to travel the world as a Pokémon trainer. You know my thoughts on that career path."

"Please consider my humble request father. I promise that I will not slander the family name as Daichi has. I will keep my identity hidden. I promise to fly under the radar. And furthermore I swear that I will find my purpose. Once I have I will raise an empire worthy of the family name."

Once he uttered those words his father's looks had softened a bit. "You remind me of her. She was also full of dreams, passion and ambition, but the world of business was not kind to her. I'll think about it. In the meantime I want you to travel to Olivine city. There is some business there that needs taking care of and I trust it to no one but family. Daichi is out of the question and your older brothers are currently occupied. And Hayato, while you are in Olivine I want you to rethink my offer."

He had completed his father's mission just a few hours earlier. It had left a slightly sick feeling in his stomach. It had not been actually legal and was morally questionable to say the least. He knew his father though. He was always testing him for disobedience and rebellion. Daichi had failed those tests and apart from a severance pay was for all intents and purposes cut off from the family. He had had no choice. He was far from ready to expose his quiet machinations. After he had completed his father's mission as emissary of the family he underwent his transformation to Tageki and went out for a night on the town. He had gone karaoke singing and now he was sitting at a table outside of 'Amphi's light', a pub and restaurant. The cheerful restaurant sign of an ampharos with a glowing tail dressed in a classical waiter's outfit holding a tray had spoken to him and his sense of whimsy. Also, having just experienced the darker side of his family's impact on the world, he was in need of some light. Since he had been the responsible party he was feverishly going through his coded plans to see if he could not speed up his plans. He was anxious to start undoing all the darkness corporations like his father's had brought into the world. He did not see a way. He sighed. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Tall shadows fell across his table. Two tall men dressed in black stood in front of him. One of them cleared his throat. Tageki beat him to the punch. "Good evening gentlemen. How may I be of assistance?" His voice was loud and sounded cheery.

The men exchanged a look before the one who had cleared his throat spoke softly but with confidence. "We have been asked to escort the little falcon to the victor."

Tageki quickly surveyed his surroundings and discovered the expensive looking car on the opposite side of the street. "I see. Can I have some desert before we leave?"

"I am sorry sir, you may not."

"How rude of him." Tageki pursed his lips. "Oh well. No sense in delaying the inevitable. Let me take care of my bill and then you may escort me into the dark night."

A few minutes later Tageki was exiting the shop with the tall men on his side. They walked towards the car on the opposite side of the street. Once they got there one of the doors opened. They nodded towards the door opening. Tageki got in and the door closed.

"Was it that urgent Katsu? And what's with the theatrics?" He looked at the man sitting in front of him dressed in an immaculate expensive looking suit. Comparing him to old photographs he was the spitting image of their father in his younger years. As the eldest son he had been groomed as successor from a very young age. Fast forward two decades and he was a ruthless businessman through and through; their father's pride and joy. He made sure to look the part.

"Well met, little brother. I have heard of your success on dad's little errand. Well done. He sent me to pick you up. He wishes to discuss a proposition with you. As for the theatrics…" He shrugged. "You know me."

"A proposition from dad?" Tageki got slightly nervous. Had his father decided to dismiss his wishes? Would his grand plan be demolished while still in its early stages? Had he underestimated his father's wish to have his entire family play a role in the business empire he had expanded since his ascension to power?

"No need for worry little brother. Dad has lined out some form of contract. You will be allowed your little journey under a few conditions. It's fairly standard stuff though. You'll stay incognito at all costs for one. As for the rest, that's between dad and you. Why you want to go on such a journey is beyond me though. The dream of being a master; so plebeian. Soul searching? Whatever for? I guess some people need it, but being part of our family you can be whatever you could want without limitations. What's there to think about?"

Sarachi tried not to smile. _And that is exactly why you and dad will never understand brother._

"Now why don't you tell me a bit about your academic years? You've made a few friends I've heard."

"How…"

Katsu, chuckled. "Do I know? Please brother. You know the family keeps an eye on its own."

Tageki kept his face schooled in a mask of surprise and slight indignation. _Of course I have been aware of them. I just don't want you to think that I am aware of your spying._ "Wow and I thought I was finally on my own for once."

"Oh, you were. We never interfered, did we? So tell me about Sarachi Hyashi and … Alessa O'Connel was it? Did you know she's the daughter of Kathryn Hyashi? Interesting connections you keep little brother. Go on, tell me about your friends."

As the car sped into the night Tageki started talking.

On the Hyashi grounds earlier that day the younger generation of Musashi's heirs were holding their own little pow-wow. They wanted to discuss the happenings of the past days amongst themselves. They wanted complete privacy and had hiked to one of their secret places in the hills near the farm where they had often played as kids.

"I can't believe he just left like that," Kasuto said in a soft voice. He was looking at his feet. "I know he loved grandpa, but he said he was feeling better about that. I thought he would stay."

Xuyon placed his hand on his little brother's shoulder. "That's not why he left kid. And it's not that he doesn't want to be home with us. He just feels like he can't do what he is supposed to do here. He felt purposeless."

"But he was working on the farm like before and he was helping mom with all kinds of stuff. I always thought he liked that."

Alessa and Xuyon exchanged glances. "It's not like he completely hated it, but he wanted to do things a different way and dad… Well dad did not want to change things too quickly. So he decided to do something different, chase a different dream in the meantime."

"But I thought he had left his dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer behind." Grace chimed in. "I mean as kids we dreamt about going on our journey together, but I thought he had … moved on or… grown up or … you know," she stumbled a bit.

"I think the dream never left, sis," Alessa said. "He may have found a new ambition; during his academic career he got this big dream of changing agriculture in Hoenn and afterwards the world. But underneath it all he never forgot his first dream."

"But why did he leave so abruptly? We could have left together."

Once more the older kids exchanged a few glances. This time it was Hiro who spoke up after Xuyon nodded slightly. "Remember the meeting for the family farm yesterday? A small argument broke out between Sarachi and his father."

"Big brother and dad had a fight?"

Xuyon looked away for a moment and clasped his hands before he responded. "I guess you could say that, yes. Dad wanted Sarachi to stay and work on the farm as before. But Sarachi had different plans. He wanted to start changing the farm. Dad argued we are not ready for that yet. I agree. But when our brother told him he wanted to travel until he could start his project dad got a bit cross. He wanted everyone to help on the farm like old times I think."

"A bit cross?" Hiro looked incredulously. "My dad told me that…"

"Yeah, well I was there, so…" Xuyon shot Hiro a pointed look. "Dad can be really intense at times. Sarachi is the same. When they work together I don't think anything could stop them. However, when they differ of opinion things heat up pretty quickly. Don't worry though. They'll get through it and Sarachi will return to the farm. I don't know when, but he loves this place. And he loves our family."

"Let's talk about some other stuff," Moira said. "Something less serious."

Alessa grinned slyly before saying, "Now that Sarachi is also shooting for a career as a Pokémon trainer alongside Grace you will have competition Hiro." She winked in Grace's direction who seemed surprised.

 _Wow, her sister had changed a lot while she was away._

"Pfff, please. I'm already in the triple threat league. It will take them some time before they reach my level. Besides I plan on finishing the gym challenge next year and then I'm going to take on the elite 4. And after that I think I am going to compete in worldwide competitions."

"What no career in the elite division for you Hiro? Afraid you can't handle it." Grace took Alessa's set up and continued trying to goad Hiro into reactions they could tease him with.

"There is no shame in knowing where your limitations are." Hiro shot back.

"He's right guys," Xuyon said. Hiro looked at him, a mixture of surprise and thankfulness evident on his face. However, that was before he continued. "Besides, we all know the fiercest combatants are the sons of Yasushi. Sarachi will be the greatest trainer our family has ever seen. He will go beyond his limitations."

Kasuto cheered at this.

"Don't be surprised if I show you all up!" Grace exclaimed.

"You tell them Grace!" Moira cheered. "O'Connel sisters all the way!"

Alessa smiled. "Since we are talking about future plans… If you guys can keep a secret I'll tell you mine." She looked expectantly at everyone.

Hiro and Xuyon were quick to swear secrecy. "We hereby swear to uphold Alessa's secrets for now and all days to come." They said with a serious tone. The glint in their eyes though, was evidence of their barely contained laughter. Kasuto and the sisters were quick to follow suit. They all knew that Alessa was the family genius and since their teens they had wondered what she planned to do with her life.

"All right, I'll accept your oaths of secrecy," Alessa said in mock secrecy. "Mom and I plan to revolutionize Pokémon battling through new inventions."

"Like new trainer items? Don't they create things like that all over the world," Hiro interjected.

"They innovate," Alessa said making air quotes, "on relatively useless things like special pokéballs or hp and status healing items and improvers. No. Mom and I are working on something huge. Our first project is based on the research I have done at the University. We started working on that while I was still researching and the prototype is nearly finished. Grace and Sarachi will be allowed to test if they want to." Grace looked positively hyped.

"Why not me?" Hiro asked.

"Well Hiro, since you are so far ahead and plan to complete the triple threat division the coming year don't you think Sarachi and Grace need a way to catch up?"

Hiro grumbled a bit at that. "I don't need any item given advantages anyway."

"Don't worry. Once we get it working you'll get one too Hiro. We just figured you didn't want the distraction of testing a new project in the coming year. After all, the triple threat is a big threat." Alessa tried to placate her cousin. "But that is the small project. The big project is actually for the elite league. So whoever gets there first gets the honour of being our Buneary, as mom would say. Why one would compare testers to rodents is beyond me, though."

"Sounds interesting. If the inventions have the power to upset the status quo of battling, the inventions may spark the industry. Any chance you guys need a major in tinkering?" Xuyon asked hopefully.

Alessa looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, I think that might actually be very welcome. I'll pitch it with mom."

Silence fell after everyone had gotten the chance to digest Alessa's reveal. Most of them were fantasizing about what the inventions might do.

"I'm hungry." Kasuto suddenly said. Everyone started laughing. "Well, it is nearly dinner time." Kasuto defended himself.

"You're right bro. It just came a bit sudden after all we talked about. Why don't we start heading back. I'm sure our parents might be waiting for us to join them at the dinner table."

As the little group made their way back to the main farm building Yasushi and Imari were discussing their viewpoints on their son's departure while Imari was cooking.

"But could you please see it from his side for a change?"

"His side? What's there to see? Why could he not simply be patient? In just a few years' time we could have been ready for an overhaul with his help. But no! He had to start right away."

"He is young and enthusiastic; of course he wants to start right away. I remember someone who, a couple of decades ago, was in the exact same situation he is in now."

"Well, my father was right back then. I was young and reckless. Things turned out great by following his direction. The same will happen now. But he's too stubborn to see that experience, patience and planning are necessary. His great plan isn't just deciding to plant some new type of crops and see what works and what doesn't. You need to plan and generate ample reserves before you start a grand undertaking such as his. And it takes time to do both. Still, instead of helping us with that he runs off. And then there's that nonsense about being a Pokémon trainer. That was his teen dream. I thought he had grown out of it."

Imari sighed. Sometimes her husband could be so short-sighted. She looked at him. His straight up posture, stiff shoulders and clenched jaw. He still seemed to be seething even though their son had left yesterday. "You mean you thought you had talked him out of it." She looked at Yasushi pointedly. "Don't try to deny it." She searched his eyes for a moment before she continued putting ingredients in the vegetable stew she was making stirring all the while.

"You know that there is no future for most trainers Imari. Only the top 2 percent ever make it to the point they can actually live from their match winnings. He can't support a family on a trainer's salary. And you know as well as I do that the elite league is corrupt. It is a gambling ground for the elite snobs that started that competition as a grand show to distract the public from reality and to give trainers a dream to chase. I want better for our son."

Imari carefully tasted the stew and added some spices before she replied. "But it is his life to live, honey. If he dreams of becoming the best trainer out there and change the world that way he deserves our support. Besides you know how hard he has worked all those years at Avignon and these past few days at home. He would give his all for the sake of the family. But he wants to do it his way. He wants to live his own life."

"But he is too young to understand that…"

"He is an adult now, dear. He has lived an independent life for nearly 5 years and you think he knows nothing of the world?"

Slowly the tension seemed to fade a bit from Yasushi's frame. "Maybe you're right. But I don't like it. Besides you're never too old to learn from your elders who have more experience."

"I'm sure you'll come to terms with it eventually dear. Now why don't you take the pot of rice to the table and go wash up. The kids will probably soon be back from their little hiking excursion."

"All right mistress. I'll carry your pot to the table. Anything else you want me to carry?" Yasushi subtly manoeuvred himself behind his wife. Suddenly he threw her over his shoulder. "How about you? You look good enough to eat."

"Eeep! Yasu! Put me down!"

"At the table? Good idea." Yasushi started walking towards the dining room.

"No, you Tauros. Here! Put me down, right here!"

Yasushi dropped her and kissed her softly on her lips. "Sorry for being so angry honey."

Imari huffed.

"I'll try seeing things from Sarachi's perspective. Maybe … maybe I was a bit too harsh."

"That's all I'm asking of you honey. Now let's get ready for dinner." Yasushi left the kitchen. His wife's voice followed him. "When are you going to talk to him?" she asked as if it was an afterthought.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Not yet Imari. I think we both need some more time to cool down. I'll call in a few days."

Imari smiled. _Truly, what would they do without her to keep the harmony in the family._ She tasted the stew again. _Hmm, it could use a bit more bite to it. Maybe some more Rindo berries._ She wondered how far her son had gotten on his journey.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	10. Chapter 10

*If you have read all my previous chapters I thank you for your sticking with me. I started this story as way to practice my writing skills. It is my goal to apply those skills in writing my very own epic stories. I have more than a few cool ideas in my head but lack the experience of seasoned writers.

Having said that I do not plan on giving up and I want to ask you, the reader, for feedback on how I am doing so far as a writer. All constructive feedback is welcome whether they are technical tips, things about character development, plot development, pacing of the story, etc. I am willing to learn and generate nice stories for you to enjoy.

Thank you all for reading,

Chris Arsajan

P.s. I've had this cool idea to make the story more interactive. So, if you want to have an influence on the story, send me your idea or writing challenge and I will try my best to get it into the story as soon as possible ;) *

Chapter 10 Cruising the high seas

From the moment he set foot on board of the cruise ship it became clear to Sarachi that he would have to get used to a different rhythm. The first few hours on the ship had been arduous. After dinner in one of the staff restaurants Mrs. Nubotu's personal assistant, Rachel, had escorted him to his room, urging him to pay attention to the route they took. Rachel, a petite brunette with her hair in a tight bun, wore a business suit and was the embodiment of professionalism. In a lengthy one-on-one session she explained the rules of the ship regarding etiquette towards clients, that's how they called the passengers, and how he might employ his off-time. Additionally she gave him his itinerary and a map to the ship. He was explained that he was allowed to walk around with Sabre, since Pokémon were not allowed to roam the ship unsupervised. However, he was fully responsible for any actions Sabre might take. Rachel then proceeded to highlight the easiest routes to take to the dojos where he would give his workshops according to his itinerary. She also pointed out the staff restaurants where he was allowed to have his meals free of charge. Afterwards she wanted to go through his entire itinerary, but by that time Sarachi's brain felt fried. Recognizing the tired look in his eyes she had smiled and said, "Hang in there warrior. Let's at least go through tomorrow's program. That way you'll know where to be. You can figure out the rest underway." She had continued in a more serious tone. "But make sure that you do. This cruise prides itself on providing high quality entertainment and services. Professionalism is of paramount importance. Mrs. Nubotu will not stand for anything that tarnishes the good name of Milotic's Majesty." Upon hearing those sentences Sarachi strained to process just that little bit of extra information.

It wasn't long after Rachel left that Sarachi shut down. "Dang Sabre, if I had known about all those rules I might've thought twice before taking this job."

"Loin?"

He sighed. "Who am I kidding? This was the only option. We'll be all right buddy. We just need some rest. Speaking of which… shower and then bed." He took a shower on autopilot and only just managed to set his alarm for the following day before he collapsed on the bed and passed out.

The ringing alarm found a grumbling, bleary eyed Sarachi. His 1st day itinerary had dictated a very early start. Sabre was still sleeping peacefully as he left. At 6:00 AM sharp he had to report to the marketing team for the shooting of a small promo movie and a short interview and photoshoot. These would be streamed on the ship's informative media channel. It turned out that his workshops' classes would be limited in size and the way to attract attendants was through advertisement. If classes were popular the Milotic would keep Historic martial arts in their program. If they weren't … well in that case Mrs. Nubotu would not have to worry about finding a new coach for future voyages. That's why the ship's commercial team spent a lot of time prying for Sarachi's success stories in order to sell him as a high value product. By the time he was finished he felt like he had told his rescue story a thousand times. Additionally he was fed up with the words public image, audience, creating buzz and other marketing terms. Sarachi hoped that the effort would be worth it and that he would be able to give some nice classes in return for an all-expenses-paid voyage to Olivine. He firmly believed in paying his dues and was a bit worried about not being able to get enough of the Milotic's passengers to the classes. Sasha and Dominic, the marketing team leads urged him not to worry.

"Just leave it to us hero!" They winked "We have more than enough material to make sure your first sessions will see a dojo that is packed. Whether the dojo will stay packed is up to you though."

After a light breakfast Sarachi picked up Sabre and spent the rest of his free morning time putting together material suited for a beginner's level. Unbeknownst to Sarachi the promo video was a great hit. The video went viral among the ship's passengers and the minimum entry spots were filled within an hour of the video's launch. Apparently a certain young lady had told her friends of her adventure in Lilycove city. Combined with the promo video the marketing crew had put together, the youth of the ship was thoroughly hyped. Sarachi had no idea what would be coming his way as he made his way to the dojo named "the Dragon's pit". He was 20 minutes early. He believed in being on time and preferred to be familiar with the area where he would be spending a lot of his time. As soon as he saw the hall he liked the place. The dojo was big and the floor was wooden, which would ensure good footing for most types of sneakers. Additionally the ceiling was high which was ideal for sparring with all kinds of weapons from swords, to staffs. The main entrance for the passengers was located on the level above the dojo. That entrance led to a terrace that ringed the entire dojo and was ideal for spectators. It was from that terrace that a stairway led to the floor of the dojo itself.

"Nice place, don't you think Sabre? I'll be teaching people here. Now during the lesson I want you to stay on this side of the hall near the door, just like when I trained at the academy."

Sabre followed his directives. She lay down and started grooming herself. Sarachi nodded and inspected the dojo in more detail before he started warming up by doing some of his flow drills.

That's how Kotan, the assistant of the previous coach, found him about 10 minutes before the start of the lesson. "So, you are the new coach? You look a bit young. And what is that purloin doing here?"

Sarachi didn't miss a stroke as he answered. "Age is not an accurate measure of experience." He finished his exercise and turned towards the young man who had just walked in. Sarachi smiled. "I'm Sarachi. That purloin is my buddy Sabre. You must be …"

"Your assistant," the man spat out. He looked slightly chagrined.

Sarachi wondered what that was about. But before he could ask, a large group of people walked in through the main entrance to the dojo. He quickly turned towards the self-proclaimed assistant. "I know we haven't had a lot of time to coordinate and I'd like to hear your input concerning the lessons, but for this first workshop would you mind following my lead?"

"My input? That would be a first. Don't worry about the lesson coach. I'm a good assistant."

Sarachi sighed inwardly. The man's tone did not really inspire confidence. Oh well, too late to consider backpedalling. "Oh and what's your name?"

"The name's Kotan." The man had schooled his expression to what must be his professional look as the first people were descending the staircase to the ground floor of the dojo.

"Nice to meet you. Outside of the workshop you may call me Sarachi. During might be a bit chaotic."

As more and more people were walking in and a crowd was forming both on the ground floor and the surrounding platform Sarachi felt stunned. _Where the hell were all these people coming from? Rachel said that the average size of a class was 15 people. Since when is this class this popular? There are at least thrice that many people here. I better make sure I have my lesson straight._ Hequickly reviewed the first lessons he had received in his mind to calm his nerves. In the meantime his eyes scanned the people in front of him to gauge their mettle. It was fairly obvious that the majority consisted of teens and young adults. On the platform he discerned a somewhat older public. Then he saw a familiar face. Kayleigh Boleyn. Suddenly the puzzle pieces were falling into place. The interview that focussed on the 'heroic' rescue, the young people regarding him with admiring looks and the large crowd on the upper floor. He started to have misgivings. These were only augmented when he overheard bits of conversations that were being held all around the room.

"Wow, he looks even younger in person."

"According to the film he supposedly saved someone traveling on this ship."

"No way!"

"I wonder who."

"I've heard he won many Kendo championships when his grandfather tutored him."

"I can't believe he just jumped into action like that in a life threatening situation."

"Could he actually teach us to move like that?"

 _Great, a class filled with groupies. I just hope they will be able to hear me over the sound of their own conversations._ As if taking a cue from his thoughts Sasha walked in holding two headset microphones and she was grinning from ear to ear. "Told you not to worry about filling up the dojo."

"What in heaven's name did you put in that promo?" Sarachi whispered.

"We'll show you tonight. Don't worry about the sound. It's taken care off." She gestured to speakers coming down from the ceiling and handed both Kotan and him a headset. Afterwards she chose a position close to the teacher's entrance to the dojo, looking on with interest at how Sarachi would handle himself.

At that moment Sarachi was glad that the assistant of the previous martial arts trainer was still in employment. It would make the teaching process a lot easier. They turned their microphone on and put on their headset. Sarachi, still holding his training blade in his hand, nodded to Kotan and stepped forward, seemingly the embodiment of calm and confidence. However, beads of sweat were starting to crawl down his back. _Shit! This is way more than I bargained for. I don't know what all of these people have in their heads. I don't know what their expectations are. Keep breathing. Mindset! Mind over matter. Step 1 get information. Step 2 act accordingly. You can do this._ "Welcome everyone! I trust many of you have seen the promo film put together by the fantastic promo crew of the Milotic." He turned and gestured towards Sasha with a slight bow. "Regardless, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sarachi Hyashi and I am the Milotic's new coach in historic fencing arts. Having studied Kendo, Kenjutsu and historic fencing arts at the Academy for Historic Western Martial Arts at Avignon, I use techniques from various backgrounds and in the workshops I will do the same. However, before we start I have a question of my own." He paused and scanned the faces in front of him. _They looked interested and engaged. So far so good…_ He continued emphasizing each word. "Why. Are. You. Here?" He tried to look stern emulating the teachers he had had in the past. Some of the youngsters shuffled their feet looking left and right a questioning look on their faces. _He was kidding right?_ About half of an uncomfortable minute later a few hands were carefully raised to the sky. Sarachi rejoiced. _Yes! We have interaction; time_ _to get to the bottom of this._ He pointed to a tall, muscular looking young man who had his hand raised. Stepping forward from amidst a group of young adults that stood near Kayleigh Boleyn, he spoke up.

"Can't speak for the other lads, _sir_ ," he said with a hint of contempt in his voice, "but I wanted to see the man who allegedly won countless tournaments in his teens and saves damsels in distress on a daily basis."

"So now you have. You can leave now …," He looked hard at the man who refused to back down, "unless there is something else?"

"Maybe if you told us yourself, or better yet, showed how you saved that lady from those muggers I might be interested to stay."

"I see…". Sarachi looked around. "Anyone else feel the same way? Want to see coach in action?!" The crowd went wild.

"Heck yeah!"

"Show us some moves coach!"

"Whoo!"

His gaze shortly fell upon Kayleigh who shrugged apologetically.

"In that case, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. This is a martial arts clinic, not a story telling event. I'm here to teach, not to brag about some things I have done in the past. As for a demonstration of my skill…, you'll have to wait until tomorrow's show. So, if you came to listen to a coach who loves the sound of his voice more than he loves his subject matter I suggest you leave. This class is not for you. If however you came here to learn more about martial arts and self-defence… Stay. Challenge yourself mentally and physically! Become a stronger version of yourself!"

To his surprise no one left. He decided to proceed with a formal greeting. Everyone was instructed to pick up a shinai and form a line in front of him.

"Lesson 1. Respect. In any form of martial art respect is at the centre. Respect for your sensei, respect for your opponent and respect for the martial art you have chosen to study. You show your respect by a formal greeting and by keeping to certain etiquette. I will teach you the greeting my grandfather taught me. As for etiquette I suggest we use a simple rule that all other rules boil down to. I call it the 'do not be a douchebag' rule. For example: I'm practicing with Kotan and notice that he executes a move incorrectly. I can simply make him aware of that fact by kindly telling him so. I could also say nothing. What does it matter if he gets his technique right? I could also call him out on it and call him slow or dim-witted or useless. Only one of those actions is the correct one. I trust you are all smart enough to know which one. The other actions would make me…?" He waited expectantly until the class answered him.

"A douchebag"

He smiled. "Exactly. Simple enough right? Now for the greeting, I'll demonstrate and then you can copy me when I give the command." He stood straight at attention, drew his blade from his left hand, made a small simple flourish and a bow without lowering his eyes and made a movement as if sheathing his blade. "Ok, now it's your turn. Ready? Greet!" They all managed with various levels of success.

"All right! Lesson 2. Any form of martial arts requires physical stamina. Hold your shinai in your left hand at your side and start jogging in circles."

They followed without question. There were so many people they had to run in two concentric circles. He jogged with them in the middle, his own European style training blade in his left hand. Kotan was following his lead.

"Very good! Now, as you're jogging control your breathing, 4 counts in and 4 counts out, and pay attention. We are not going to do a complete workout today. We just want to be warmed up. Raise your blade and start making 'Men' strikes. What I want to see are nice controlled strikes, with proper technique. Kotan, will you show us, slowly. In the meantime, everyone else keep jogging." Kotan obliged and Sarachi showed the intricacies of correct strikes highlighting several important aspects of a good strike while Kotan demonstrated in slowmotion. A good ten minutes into the warmup Sarachi deemed it to be enough.

"All right. Good job everybody. You have earned yourself a brief rest while I explain the first sparring exercise we are going to do today. But first, form up in a line. I want the odd numbered in the line to step forward. So numbers one, three and so forth. Now turn towards your comrades in the other line and introduce yourself to the person standing in front of you. Congratulations you have just met your partner for the rest of the class."

During the sparring exercises Sarachi explained the fundamental differences between eastern and western historic fencing and gave them a few exercises in techniques from both. He made sure to first work on the Kendo techniques and to finish with the western techniques. Kotan assisted readily and Sarachi found himself grateful that he was present. He followed his lead easily and could give directions independently as well as they walked around the dojo giving personal feedback and additional instruction to the enthusiastic teens and young adults. While walking around Sarachi made sure to steer clear of Kayleigh and her friends though. He figured he would deal with that particular challenge later. Everywhere he looked he saw attentive and focussed looks interchanged with the occasional smile as they assisted each other in their practice. He was slightly surprised that his teaching method seemed to be working. They gave their attention readily and when they asked questions they raised valid points that allowed him to go into more depth explaining techniques, moves and countermoves. But in his exercises he made sure to stick to a certain level. He never expected to enjoy teaching as much as he was. He always enjoyed training and instructing his little brother, but he had never considered being a coach for a living. He now discovered that it gave him a lot of satisfaction to see 'his students' executing a move correctly. While he instructed he kept a careful eye on the time. Stick to the schedule was one of the important rules Rachel had imprinted on him. It still came as a shock to him when the time had come for him to wrap up his clinic. Time had simply flown by.

"Audite!" Everyone recognized the command he had explained earlier to use whenever he wanted everyone's attention. Within seconds all eyes were on him. "Everybody, please form up in a line for the greeting. We have come to the end of this lesson." As soon as everyone had formed a line he nodded and smiled. "Well done everyone! Before we greet I want to say a few words. First of all I want to thank you for your attention. It was my privilege to teach you today and I enjoyed instructing you and watching you progress. Now for those who still wish to see me in action I encourage you to come to our show tomorrow evening. Finally I have been urged to ask you to fill in an evaluation form so we, from the Milotic, can keep delivering you high value entertainment and services. Now, let's greet!"

As the students were leaving Kayleigh found herself surrounded by her 4 friends.

"Well Kayleigh, I have to say he is quite cute," one of them said. She was clearly of mixed heritage. Her height spoke of western blood. Her high cheekbones, slanted eyes and coloured skin spoke of eastern descent.

Another girl, a slim redhead with hazel eyes was quick to weigh in. "Understatement Samantha! Damn, I wouldn't mind seeing him without a shirt on. And the way he took charge of the class and put Patrick in his place. I mean, whoo!" She fanned her face.

The other girls laughed.

"Exactly Rose. What I noticed though, is that he didn't pay any attention to Kayleigh at all. In spite of her attempts to get it. I'm beginning to think she made her story up about her being the one he saved in that place. What was the name again?" Samantha looked at Kayleigh with an expectant yet calculating expression.

"Lilicove."

"Indeed. And I have to say I'm still wondering whether he is as good as the promo makes him out to be; I admit he gives a good workshop, but anyone with a few years of experience can seem like a master to people who have no experience whatsoever."

At these words the girls looked from Kayleigh to Samantha as if they were watching an interesting show unfold.

Kayleigh smiled and shrugged. "Whatever Samantha. If you don't believe me, why don't you wait up here with me? As soon as everyone is gone we'll go down to the dojo again and you can ask him yourself."

"Sounds interesting. I guess I could miss out on some poolside sunbathing. But I'm all sweaty. I hope it doesn't take too long."

After the workshop was over and the students were heading up the stairs Sasha congratulated Sarachi on a good first lesson, before she left him with Kotan. Nearly all the participants had left the ground floor of the dojo, several of them thanking him for an interesting and engaging lesson. As they were cleaning up the dojo Kotan struck up a conversation. "You've got good a good teaching method and a good understanding of technique Sarachi. I have to admit the last instructor can take a few notes from you. Still, I could have given pretty much the same lecture of course."

Sarachi looked at him, a thought suddenly forming in his head about Kotan's aversion. "You wanted to take the previous coach's place."

"Well duh! I have given workshops alongside of him for nearly a year now and they hire you out of the blue without any proof of your teaching experience and make you the instructor!" His chest was heaving and the look in his eyes said it all.

"I see. Well, I can't say why they chose me to lead the clinics instead of you. And I assure you I was not aware of the situation here. I just needed a way to pay my board. This was my opportunity and I took it. But tell you what. Mrs. Nubotu knows that once we reach Olivine city I'll leave. You clearly have a lot of experience and heart for teaching. I've seen it. If she deems it worthwhile to continue these clinics I'll put in a good word for you, ok?"

"Pff, I don't need your charity. As a matter of fact I wonder whether you are actually as skilled as that promo makes you out to be. Is there a reason why you didn't want to demonstrate in front of the students?"

"Not really. I just don't want to show the goods before the show."

"Sure you do."

"Speaking of which, why don't you take me through the routine you used to do with the previous instructor and we can start practicing."

"How about no. I want _you_ to show _me_ what makes you so special."

Sarachi narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I want you to spar with me right here."

"Why?"

"Have you not been paying attention? To prove to me why you are the one to lead the clinics and the shows for as long as you're here."

Sarachi looked at his opponent, sizing him up. "Sure. I don't think there is anything in the rules that prevents us from having a match."

Kotan grinned and said, "Good. I have been getting rusty and the previous coach wasn't much for interacting and crossing blades with his assistant, outside of practicing demo's for the show that is. Arrogant as he was. Oh, and you won't mind if we film this do you?"

"What, you need proof of your superiority?"

"Let's just say that I like to build a case on evidence."

Sarachi thought for a moment. "Sure, why not? I haven't had a proper challenge in a while. And the rules say nothing about sparring with my colleague. How do you want to do this?"

"They have full contact suits for sparring demo's in the storage of the dojo. They register hits so that the audience can see the hits even if some of the action is too fast to follow with the eye."

Sarachi was surprised. "Wow. Guess they really don't skint on the equipment." He smiled. _If I didn't have other plans I could definitely get used to this. I can't believe the previous coach could not appreciate this. Had he really been that bad?_ "Ok let's gear up and get going. Kendo rules or free sparring?"

"You know what? Let's just do free sparring for 15 minutes. The contender with the most hits wins."

"You're on."

They donned the suits and started circling each other. In the first minute they merely tested each other's reaction. Making feints and shifting stances through guard positions.

"Looks like your guard and reaction time seem well enough, _coach_ "

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. How long have you been doing this?"

"The sport or assisting with teaching?"

"Both?"

"Well I have done this particular martial art for about five years. I have assisted my coach with teaching the starters for about 1 year."

"And this job?"

"My first, it seemed like a cool job at the time."

"Ok, why don't we take things up a notch?"

"Sure, bring it."

Sarachi started attacking, forcing his opponent back. He did not go full out though. He merely attacked with simple flurries of attacks and simple combinations testing his opponent's defence. He noticed that after most combinations Kotan responded with counterattacks that became increasingly energetic. Sarachi smiled. He started leaving openings, baiting his opponent and sure enough Kotan scored a few hits only seconds later. Unbeknownst to them a group of eager eyes was following the exchange carefully.

"Looks like I was right Kayleigh, your so called saviour isn't doing so well against his assistant."

"They just started, you can't tell by just a few hits." _At least I hope not. What's going on? Had Sarachi just been lucky when he fought those thugs?_ She kept watching, silently pleading for Sarachi to turn the tables.

It seemed in vain. Kotan scored more and more hits taking advantage of every opening he found. He felt triumphant. Sarachi had managed only a few hits and those had been double hits. He had a firm lead and about half of the time was gone already. Even if he were to only defend from now on he could not lose. The fight had changed though. Without him noticing it Sarachi had kept increasing the tempo by incrementally increasing the speed of his counterattacks. Moreover he had not noticed that during the exchange Sarachi had pulled the majority of his blows while he tested his opponents' defensive reactions. He had also started picking up on his attack patterns and caught more and more of his attacks with parries that could have easily been turned into successful counterattacks.

Still, to the untrained or inexperienced eye it looked as if Kotan was wiping the floor with him.

"Wow. I can't believe you made me stay to watch this embarrassment Kayleigh."

Kayleigh merely groaned.

After the final exchange the fighters disengaged. Sarachi's voice suddenly rang out. "Well done Kotan! You've done great, but I've already won."

The girls looked at each other. Samantha gave voice to their confusion. "He's kidding right? He's way behind in score, like 30 to 5."

"Are you reading the scoreboard correctly or should I spell it out for you. I'm leading with 30 to 5. I could spend the rest of the match defending and you wouldn't catch up. And there are less than 5 minutes left."

Kayleigh's friends nodded to each other. Kotan was right. Sarachi had been outclassed. There was no way he would be able to win. Kayleigh however looked slightly hopeful.

"True, but you have failed to notice three things during the fight."

"What things?"

"Let's resume the fight and I'll show you."

Kotan attacked with a shout leading with a series of attacks at his top speed. Not one of his blows hit. He reached the end of one of his attack combo's and felt a sharp rap on his mask. He was stunned. Usually his combinations yielded result before he reached the end of his combo's.

"One! During the first ten minutes your hits came further and further apart as you did your combinations. I know all your attack patterns and have a response for each one of them."

"You're bluffing!"

"Try me!"

Once again Kotan surged forward. This time, not only were all his attacks checked with a parry, more often than not Sarachi managed to get a hit in in between parries. Kotan snarled. _Impossible!_

"Two. I have been increasing the speed gradually. You thought you were leading. But every time I countered I forced you to increase your speed to block me until you reached your limit. I'm faster than you are."

The score board read 30 – 20 with about a minute left on the clock. Kayleigh wore a broad smile while her companions were staring in awe.

"And what is the third?"

"Each attack or counter I made was a Kendo technique. I recall clearly stating that I use a combination of western and eastern techniques. Do you remember the one big difference between the western style fencing and Kendo?" Kotan stayed silent. "No? Let me tell you. Their blades have two edges."

For the first time Sarachi started attacking in earnest. Making combinations with both edges of his blade in patterns completely unfamiliar to Kotan he forced Kotan to focus completely on his defence. Even so, the scoreboard changed every second as Sarachi danced his deadly dance around his opponent. When the clock hit zero Sarachi had surpassed Kotan's score with a number that left no room for argument as to who was the superior fighter.

As they took off their masks they exchanged one glance and it seemed that with that one glance they had come to a better understanding. They saluted each other, smiled and approached one another.

Kotan spoke first. "I guess I deserved that."

"Maybe I went a bit overboard."

"Naw, it's ok Sarachi. You've shown me how there is so much more I can learn. In fact I think we should change the demo's to showcase more of your techniques. How about we start right after lunch?"

"Sounds good; I'll see you then. Now let's get out of these suits."

"Good idea. I think my shirt is drenched. Thank goodness they provide uniform shirts for all personnel." They laughed.

Unaware of the group of girls looking down on them they started taking of the suits and after shrugging their shoulders they stripped their shirt as well.

"Whoo! Aw yeah!"

Startled they looked towards the stairs to see a group of young ladies in sports attire walking towards them. Kayleigh was in the lead. As they came closer they clearly heard one of the girls, a redhead saying, "I am not disappointed" Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

Two of the other girls elbowed her and giggled. "Rose!"

Kayleigh walked straight up to Sarachi and said, "Sarachi, why did you ignore me during the lesson?"

"Why, wait … what?" Sarachi was flabbergasted.

"Why did you ignore me?"

"I didn't ignore you." The lie came out quickly.

"Yes, you did. I tried getting your attention several times for instruction but you left it to your assistant who was very helpful by the way." She smiled in Kotan's direction. "Anyway, someone here wants to ask you something." She pulled Samantha forwards. "Go ahead Samantha."

At first Samantha looked a bit nervous. Sarachi raised his eyebrows. Then it seemed that she steeled herself. Something of her confidence came back in her bearing. "Do you know her?"

"Who, miss Boleyn? We've met briefly in Lilycove where she had a run in with some nasty individuals. I assisted her. I can't say I know her though," Sarachi said emphasizing the word know.

Kayleigh looked hurt. "Yeah, we just met while he saved me from rape and being robbed. No big deal. Then we shook hands and parted ways. Well now you know. Samantha, Rose, Viviene, Gabriella, let's go." She turned around and left. The other girls seemed to hesitate for a moment before they followed her lead and left. At the stairs Rose turned around.

"Thank you for the lesson and the show. I'll see you tomorrow." She winked.

Sarachi shook his head as he looked at Kotan. Kotan just shrugged.

"Well, what would you have done?"

"About young ladies who seem interested in me? Well…" he left the sentence hanging in the air as he grinned.

"You know we are not to interact too familiarly with the passengers."

Kotan laughed. "We are discouraged from initiating interaction. If passengers come to you for a friendly chat… well, that's another matter entirely. Don't worry about it too much coach. They'll probably be back for more lessons. I mean, how could they resist this?" And he gestured to himself.

Sarachi laughed at that. "All right charmer, let's go get lunch and start working on that demo before we need to give another workshop."

"And I was worried you would be as insufferable as the last coach."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen the promo?"

"No?"

"Well, maybe you should," Kotan suggested with a serious face. And together they left the dojo.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of activities. He had made a friend in Kotan which improved their teaching dynamics greatly and helped them in embellishing the demo fights for the shows quickly and successfully. Still he was happy when, come evening, he had some time for himself. He made sure to call Tageki and his mother to let them know how he was doing and afterwards he explored the ship's recreational facilities with Sabre alternately at his side or riding his shoulder. He inspected several pools that looked like they might be fun (Sabre wasn't impressed). He found the entertainment centre with a cinema and game rooms and he even discovered a reading hall with a wide assortment of books available. When he came to the spa and wellness centre he looked at Sabre and said. "Well, what do you think girl. After the past few days we deserve some pampering right?" Sabre seemed to agree as she ran forward towards the door. A sign on the door advertised. Still stressed out on your holiday? Let us give you the royal treatment. Feel like a Softboiled client afterwards. Sarachi smiled. _That promised to be good._

30 minutes later they emerged thoroughly relaxed and pampered. "That was exactly what I needed." He sighed a blissful look on his face.

"Purrrr!" Sabre concurred with a dreamy look on her face.

"Now let's go for some dinner. Let's see now, the closest staff restaurant…" thanks to Rachel's map they were able to find the restaurant rather quickly. They were greeted enthusiastically by Sasha and Dominic who signalled him to join their table.

"I heard your first day was a success," Dominic said.

"It went well enough, I suppose."

"Well enough? No need to be modest. The reviews were …" Sasha coughed. At this he seemed to catch himself. "Well, you'll hear soon enough. I suspect the remainder of your classes will be filled well. Now I heard you wanted to see the promo video we aired."

"Yes," Sarachi said slowly.

They showed him the clip on Dominic's tablet. At the end he wished he hadn't seen it.

"What, why did you…? You made me look like a … like a," he was sputtering.

"Like a competent and confident martial artist?" Sasha offered helpfully.

"Like an arrogant, self-entitled snob who is convinced he is the absolute best in the world."

Dominic interjected. "There is nothing like that in the promo. We didn't say it, you didn't say it. We have merely stated your accomplishments and have told the story of how you heroically rescued a lady from unsavoury characters. People make their own conclusions based on the perspective we provide for them. Some may take it to the extreme, but that's what marketing is about. If we have made you look interesting, dangerously qualified and desirable, well then we have done our job correctly."

Sarachi sighed. "Well, at least the first lesson will have showed everyone what I'm like. I hope that doesn't destroy this _persona_ you have built around my _image_."

"Don't worry Sarachi. It will just deepen your character in their eyes."

Sarachi decided to let it go. When he was done eating he thanked Dominic and Sasha for the promo and the company and headed to the deck with Sabre. Once there he searched for a quiet place to simply stare out over the ocean and look at the beautiful night sky. Away from the main bars the light was dimmed and he was able to simply enjoy looking at the stars while breathing in the fresh air. The occasional wingul and pelipper flew by. He wondered if he would be able to spot more water type pokémon. Most of them would probably stay below the surface, but he had heard of pods of Wailords swimming along with boats for miles. He wouldn't mind seeing that. Or Lapras. Lapras were pretty rare in Hoenn, but they were one of his favourite water/ice pokémon. Lost in daydreaming he didn't notice that someone had walked up behind him.

"I have heard about your first lessons. I must say, I'm impressed."

Sarachi turned around. "Sir Boleyn?"

"Good evening, Mr Hyashi."

"Likewise. What did you hear about the lessons?"

"Straight to the core eh? I like that. Well you see, many of the adult passengers did not care much for the previous coach. That's why many watched as you instructed their children. You made a good impression. Why don't you join me?" He gestured to a table at the edge of the lounge area that was dimly lit.

Sarachi was a bit nervous. "Did your daughter enjoy the workshop?"

"She did. At the same time she seemed a bit agitated though. She may have muttered something about an arrogant boy not paying her any attention."

Sarachi swallowed. "That … may have been me."

"Oh really?" Sir Boleyn looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes. "Don't worry Sarachi. It is character building for young ladies to be reminded now and again that they are not the centre of attention everywhere they go."

"I do not mean to offend, but I deemed it wiser to not presume too much familiarity."

"No harm done Sarachi. You did nothing wrong."

They were suddenly interrupted. "Wrong!? I hope there is nothing that this young man has done to cause affront, esteemed sir." It was Mrs. Nubotu.

"Not at all mrs. Nubotu. I just complimented Sarachi on his excellent teaching."

She seemed relieved. "Good, because I just wanted to discuss the results of the reviews handed in."

Sarachi looked at her. "I hope they were good enough."

Mrs. Nubotu smiled. "They have never been higher for someone on their first day. Are you sure I can't convince you to stay? You'll be well compensated and will get a more luxurious room and access to all the facilities."

Sarachi was silent.

"Well?"

"Wow! That is… very generous of you mrs. Nubotu, but regrettably I have other plans."

"What other plans do you have if I may be so bold to ask?"

"Well after meeting my friend in Olivine city I plan to start a Pokémon journey and become the best trainer there is."

If Sir Boleyn was surprised he hid it well. Mrs Nubotu on the other hand looked at him with wide open eyes. "At your age? Why not deepen your martial arts career? I'm sure you could make a very good living competing in many prestigious competitions and teaching others."

Sarachi thought for a while how he was going to answer. "It's just something I have always dreamed of doing. I recently got the opportunity to start pursuing that dream and I do not plan on giving that up. Sorry, mrs. Nubotu."

Still looking a bit puzzled mrs. Nubotu assured him that it was fine, before leaving him alone with sir Boleyn.

"I have to say you surprised me Sarachi. You do know that the journey, especially the final stage, the elite competition, isn't as glamorous as it seems? It's a fierce battle between companies who strive for popularity by sponsoring contenders with equipment. Nor is the competition as clean as it seems. Many of the sponsors also bet on their contenders and make match-fixing deals in order to earn extra money or to thwart rivals. Often it's not even about the money. It is merely a high stakes game where each party wants their champion to succeed. That is why more and more has been invested in the battle suits the participants wear. In order to contend on that level you need a sponsor to compete. Make no mistake. The costs for the equipment are high and there are entrée fees to ensure that only a selected few are able to compete."

Sarachi was shocked. "I had no idea it was that bad. Still I plan to change all that."

Sir Boleyn looked at him hard. "That is a noble goal, but many have tried to do so before you. All of them have failed. They succumbed to the corrupting influence of their sponsors, gave up after years without success or were scared off by threats."

"I don't know how to answer that question sir; I just know in my heart that I can change that. I don't doubt that I will need help along the way, but I firmly believe that I'll bring change."

"Well, I wish you all the luck in the world on your quest Sarachi, and I wish you a pleasant night. And in case I don't happen to run into you again before the end of his trip I'd like to give you my card. If you ever reach the level of the elite league I'd like you to consider me as a sponsor."

"That's … generous. Thank you, sir."

"It's ok, now if you'll excuse me I'm going to find some more entertainment before calling it a night."

After sir Boleyn had left, Sarachi and Sabre spent a little bit longer enjoying the ambiance. Sarachi reviewed his itinerary for the following days and laid it out besides the entertainment program. Apparently there were also amateur league pokémon battles and contests. He was determined to see a few of them if he had the opportunity. It was never too early to start learning more about the world he was soon to enter. After a while Sarachi's eyelids started drooping. "Let's call it a night girl. Tomorrow I do not need to start as early as today, but I still have some sleep to catch up to." They left the peaceful scene behind and headed towards their cabin to turn in for the night, unaware of the unfriendly eyes that were following them.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


	11. Chapter 11

*If you have read all my previous chapters I thank you for your sticking with me. I started this story as way to practice my writing skills. It is my goal to apply those skills in writing my very own epic stories. I have more than a few cool ideas in my head but lack the experience of seasoned writers.

Having said that I do not plan on giving up and I want to ask you, the reader, for feedback on how I am doing so far as a writer. All constructive feedback is welcome whether they are technical tips, things about character development, plot development, pacing of the story, etc. I am willing to learn and generate nice stories for you to enjoy.

Thank you all for reading,

Chris Arsajan

P.s. I've had this cool idea to make the story more interactive. So, if you want to have an influence on the story, send me your idea or writing challenge and I will try my best to get it into the story as soon as possible ;) *

Chapter 11 When a pleasure cruise turns into a nightmare

From a table closer to the centre of the lounge area a man in a dark suit with sunglasses had carefully followed the exchange between Sarachi, sir Boleyn and mrs. Nubotu. After they had left he seemed to scribble a few notes on the napkin that was placed underneath the drink he was nursing in his right hand. When he was done he downed his drink and placed the glass on the table. Afterwards he left, clutching the napkin in his hand. He walked towards a part of the deck that was secluded, reached inside the inner pocket of his suit and took out a mobile phone. He read his notes a few times before tearing the napkin apart and surrendering the pieces to the wind. He dialled a number put the phone to his ear and waited patiently.

In the penthouse office of the tallest building in Rustboro city a cordless phone rang. The new head of the Devon Corporation dressed in an expensive suit took the phone from its stand on the desk and walked to the window. He always took his phone calls while looking out over the city. Seeing the hustle and bustle of all those meaningless simpletons beneath him gave Grant a sense of power. He looked at the number of the caller id and snarled.

"Finally!" He connected the line. "You're late! You forget that I do not like waiting. Why are you late? Report stat!"

"The serpent brotherhood failed sir."

"What! I gave clear instructions. How could they have failed?"

"An unlucky turn of events. A passer-by interrupted."

"A passer-by interrupted…" Grant's voice was soft but his words held steel in them. "You're telling me that a street gang known for violence was stopped from robbing a mere adolescent by a passer-by. A nobody who just happened to come strolling by?!"

"Well, he wasn't just anybody sir. He was a renowned martial artist. A grandson of Hyashi."

"I don't care if he had been the legendary first hero reborn! I wanted to send a message to sir Boleyn. The time has come for my dear brother to set aside his foolish altruistic notions and come back into the fold. I need his connections of sea transport. But you still haven't explained your tardiness."

"I wanted a bit more information about what is going on sir. Sir Boleyn seemed to want to meet with someone in private so I tailed him to find out what he's up to."

"Hmm, and?"

"I'm sorry to say that there is nothing newsworthy there. He merely wanted to talk to that Sarachi Hyashi. The one who took down the Brotherhood. Congratulate him on giving a good first workshop session. Apparently his daughter is somewhat smitten with the boy." The informant's tone seemed to hold a bitter edge.

"Wait! What is that boy doing on the Milotic?"

"Apparently he got hired as the new historic martial arts instructor."

"What! But that was Serrano's, I mean Sorello's. Whatever his name was. That was his job."

"Sorantino, Fiorelli, sir"

"That's the one. Since when did he quit?"

"Allegedly he was fired due to bad professional conduct earlier that same day. The boy merely wanted passage to Olivine. He was allowed to work for his crossing. You could say fortune smiled upon him that day."

"Fortune…", Grant mused. "So there is another knight in shining armour on that ship now. Disgusting!"

"Not for long sir. He'll leave the ship in Olivine city to meet up with some friend and afterwards he is going to start a Pokémon journey. Apparently he dreams of being the very best. He wants to go all the way to elite league."

Grant scoffed. "Another mindless dreamer. It's as if they are drawn to each other. And did my brother try to talk some sense into him? Did he divulge the dark secrets of the elite league."

"He tried to, but the boy merely said that he was aware and that he meant to change that."

"Ha! Many have tried, including that fool of a brother of mine. His champions have fallen one by one leaving him to despair."

"Maybe not yet sir"

"What do you mean?!"

"At the end of their talk your brother gave the young Hyashi his card and offered to become his sponsor if he ever got ready to storm the elite league."

"He did now. Well it is inconsequential for now and may not ever become an issue. After all, I still need to send my dear brother a message. I didn't want to resort to harder measures, but I have a point to make. Start with operation wet feet."

"Operation wet feet sir? Are you sure? He is still your brother."

"And if he is as fortuitous as he seems to be he will probably survive. And if he doesn't I will get what I want after my lawyers are done."

"Ok sir. I'll start preparations immediately. Do you want me to do anything about that boy?"

"He's not a priority. If he bothers you, I'll leave him to your discretion."

"Understood sir."

The line went dead. "Well Sarachi, you should have played nice. Looks like you're about to get wet feet."

On the other end of the disconnected line Grant dropped the phone back in its docking station and went back to the window. "Fortune…," he mumbled. "Could it be? Has the new knight finally come forward?"

Suddenly the room went dark. A dark sinister chuckling reverberated in the penthouse office. "So you think the Knight of Skill and Fortune has come forth. Interesting thoughts Grant. Dangerous too."

"My lord. Do you have any orders concerning the matter?"

"Not really. As of yet I have no reason to believe that Arceus' champion has come forward. But your current scheming might give me more insight in the matter. If the boy survives your little operation he might be worth keeping a closer eye on. If he doesn't…, well let's just say that the powers of this world do not allow their champions to go down in preliminary skirmishes."

"But if he is the Knight would it not be better to do away with him sooner rather than later?"

"That is not how we work. We seldom intervene directly in this world. We depend on agents to champion our cause and subtly guide the world towards the future we envision. The future we desire. We whisper to people, much like yourself, to kindle within them our spark. These people become our champions. We seldom intervene directly in the world. This takes energy and leaves us vulnerable upon our plane. That's why we do not intervene until we absolutely have to. We seldom feel the necessity to do so. Keep that in mind Grant. Arceus may be a sentimental fool, but I do not hesitate to sacrifice pieces in the greater scheme of things."

"Understood."

"Good. For now I wish you to continue on your current path. Consolidate your family's wealth. Then, when the time is ripe I want you to find me a new champion in the elite league. Soon the time will be ripe for chaos and strife, new rivalries and fights. Remember Grant. If this era ends early, all corporations will fall and your reign will come to an end."

"I understand."

As quickly as darkness had enveloped the room the lights came back. Grant cursed. He hated having to answer to another. He wondered if his underlings often felt the same way he did now. He dismissed the thought quickly. He just had to maintain the course for a few more years. Afterwards he would be the most powerful man in Hoenn and Johto and he would find a way to deal with anyone or anything that had the misfortune of being disagreeable with him.

Clang! Cling! Swish, clang! The clear sounds of sword fighting rang out throughout the entire stern of the Milotic's Majesty. Most of the ship was watching in awe as they crisscrossed across the deck in increasingly complicated fight sequences. Sarachi and Kotan had created a new demo that displayed eastern and western techniques and even threw in the occasional acrobatics flair. They had drilled every free hour they had to the point where they could wake up in the middle of the night go to the dojo and perform the entire demo without a single error. The results spoke for themselves. Through their mastery they were confident in performing without any protective gear and the crowd got to see the intense looks of concentration and fierce battle stares they shot each other. Throughout the entire performance the chemistry and respect between the two was obvious. When they ended the sequence with the finale that left them both supposedly impaled on each other's sword the crowd erupted in cheers. They stood up, flourished and bowed before they embraced as they raised their swords to the sky driving the volume of the cheers to increase even more.

"Unbelievable! You have seen it folks; an unrivalled display of skill from these two young warriors. The entire sequence has been recorded using high definition cameras. If anyone wishes to have their very own copy of this amazing fight sequence wherein East met West contact Dominic, the co team leader of the media team of the Milotic. Once more, give it up for, Sarachi and Kotan!"

Where the first lesson the two had given together had earned Sarachi and Kotan respect from everyone who was present, their demo had raised them to stardom in the eyes of the entire crew and all youngsters on the ship. All of the clinics since then were packed and their days were busy teaching and choreographing new shows per request of mrs. Nubotu. Many of the passengers wished to take pictures with them and talk to them whenever they encountered them. Dominic and Sasha had sensed the crowd's mood being set ablaze by that first demo and within record time they had devised and produced an entire assortment of merchandise that featured them as the Knights of the High Seas and the Knights of the Milotic. Kotan seemed to enjoy the attention while Sarachi found it a bit annoying that he seemed to have no private moment for himself anymore besides the nights he spent asleep in his cabin. Sabre did not really enjoy herself those days either. Having to share her master with all those other two legged ones and merely watching on as he got to fight with that other two legs who was alike yet nothing alike Tageki. Sarachi and Sabre did get to see some of the Pokémon battles and contests that took place in the arena that was located in the largest inside area on the ship. Those moments were the only ones Sabre enjoyed. Observing the battles and studying perhaps future opponents. She couldn't wait till the day when she could finaly show Sarachi how strong she really is.

On the day before their arrival in Olivine city Sarachi had to nearly kick their admirers out of the dojo claiming he still wanted to practice for the final show of the voyage. Kotan laughed at him as he shook his head. They practiced a bit to make sure their fans actually believed Sarachi's ruse before they sat down on the stairs. Sabre looked on with a haughty stare from her favourite spot on top of the spare sparring mats used for wrestling.

Kotan was the first to speak. "Tell me Sarachi, what do you have against the simple pleasure of having a fanbase?"

"I just don't feel comfortable with it, all these people wanting to speak with me and get to know me because I am good at something. I just want to be good at martial arts, because I enjoy the thrill of pitting myself against opponents and putting various techniques together in nice combinations. I don't do it for cheering fans." He looked at Kotan. "Mind you, I'm not judging. That's just not me."

"It's cool. I have to say I'll actually be sorry to see you go tomorrow. You are, by far, the best sparring and demo partner I have ever had."

Sarachi smiled. "You know, the fanbase aside, I wouldn't mind doing this for a living; but I have other plans."

"Hey whatever happened with your number one fans?"

"What, Kayleigh and her friends?"

"For someone professing not to like fans I find it interesting that you immediately knew who I meant." He winked. "Are you sure you don't like some of it?"

Sarachi grinned suddenly. "Well, I would lie if I said I hate attention from beautiful girls. Still, I've kept my distance. Some of them wanted to chat occasionally, but I've been careful to not lead them on."

"What are you man?! A saint?! You could have at least exchanged contact info to get in touch after you leave the ship. I mean you actually have nothing to keep you from getting into contact once you're off. Nothing!"

"Well, tongues will wag."

Kotan rolled his eyes. "Pff, Herdiers wag their tails."

"What?"

"People are always going to talk. Are you going to let that stop you from having fun? I mean, Kayleigh genuinely seemed interested in you. Sure, the others …"

"were more interested in seeing us shirtless?"

Kotan looked a bit sheepish at Sarachi's blatant observation. The look didn't last long though. "Yeah well, personally, I don't see anything wrong with that. I wouldn't mind lounging on a beach with Rose … or Viviene … or Gabrielle … or Samantha … or all of them. Heck even Kayleigh, since you seem to be impartial." He smirked, a grin on his face.

Sarachi ignored him. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe … maybe if circumstances were different I would have hung out with Kayleigh. She does seem nice."

"You mean hot."

"No I meant interesting and not shallow."

Kotan looked at him in a funny way. "You're not much of ladies' man are you, Sarachi."

Sarachi scoffed. "Really? Whatever gave you that impression?"

Kotan laughed. "What, with all of that," he gestured towards him, "going for you? You don't know what you're missing out on buddy."

"Yeah well … " Suddenly the upper door to the dojo opened and Sarachi sighed frustrated. "I had hoped we were rid of them." He turned around expecting to see a group of his fans. Instead he saw just one couple descending the stairs. The woman wore an artful see through sarong on top of a stylish bikini and the man was wearing khaki shorts and a shirt that was definitely from the designer variety. He had a chic hat on and had a pair of sunglasses tucked into the low v-neck of his shirt. Something in the way they walked and moved made Sarachi think of dancers that were in perfect sync. When they reached the stair Sarachi and Kotan were sitting on they waited expectedly. The boys stood up and looked at them questioningly.

The man took off his hat and bowed elegantly and spoke with a voice that had something theatrical. "Brave knights, allow me to introduce us. My name is Jake and this beauty is my lovely sister Karen."

Sarachi and Kotan looked at each other for a moment. Were these guys for real? Then they smiled, shrugged and followed the man's example.

"Good sir, fair lady. We are Sarachi and Kotan, a pleasure to meet you."

At this spectacle Jake's booming laugh filled the dojo. "Look at that sis! They have flair. I told you they would."

"Calm down Jake." She looked at Sarachi sharply as if appraising him. Then she smiled. "My brother and I have a proposal for you Sarachi."

Sarachi answered tentatively. "Okay? What is it?"

"It is something of a … private matter," she said looking at Kotan.

"I don't mind if he hears."

"I'm sorry Sarachi, but we," She gestured to herself and Jake, "do. You see, this is rather important. For now the proposal is on a need to know basis."

Kotan shrugged. "No worries Sarachi. I'll set the gear ready for this afternoon's demo and then I'll see you at lunch."

After Kotan had left the room, Karen walked around the dojo a bit; looking around and noticing Sabre as if for the first time. Jake was bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet looking around enthusiastically.

"So, you said you wanted to talk to me."

Karen turned promptly towards him. "That purloin is yours, correct?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, what do you think brother?"

"Well, from what I have seen during this journey, there seems to be no purloin like it. I haven't heard anything on the ship about valuables gone missing. That, in and of itself, is curious. I sense something special here sister." He smiled and Sarachi could see a glimmer in his eyes.

He tried to not sound too proud. "Ah yes, well Sabre doesn't do that anymore."

"Meaning, she used to?"

"Yes, but after a while I got tired of having to return things to people living all around the campus. I started giving her more personal attention and training."

"Interesting. Yet there are a lot of trainers with a purloin who have never achieved results even remotely close to yours. It is unprecedented. Not to mention the fact that you are not even a licensed trainer. It makes me wonder about what is special about you and your bond with Sabre. I have observed you two at the demos you perform and the times you went to watch the Pokémon battles and contests on board. She never once wandered off or seemed tempted at the valuables many of the people displayed on board. Instead she seemed completely fixed on you and the action going on inside the arena."

Sarachi was surprised. _Why would they go through so much trouble observing him?_ He laughed, trying not to show that he was a bit alarmed learning that he was under somebody's scrutiny. "To be honest I think it has something to do with the fact that I have raised Sabre since she was very young. I took her to classes and training and we pretty much did anything in our life together."

Just as Karen was about to respond Jake rushed forward with an excited look. "I knew it. I knew I recognized her. Hyashi. Sarachi Hyashi. Related in any way to Yasushi Hyashi?"

"He is my father. How do you know my father?"

"I am the breeder where he bought the very purloin you now call Sabre! I remember every pokémon I have ever raised and sold Sarachi. Usually I don't sell them that young, but Yasushi was adamant. It was supposed to be a going away present for you. I thought I had recognized her and when you mentioned raising her since she was very young I knew I was right."

Sarachi saw a slightly surprised look on Karen's face before she schooled her features. "All very interesting, but we are here on another matter."

"Ah yes. My sister. You must forgive her Sarachi. She may be a bit too goal oriented, but trust me she does have a heart." He winked and beamed a smile.

Karen rolled her eyes at him saying, "Well one of us has to be sensible." Then she turned towards Sarachi. "Sarachi, we have heard from a mutual acquaintance that you are dreaming of starting a Pokémon journey and taking the elite competition by storm."

"Sir Boleyn," Sarachi guessed.

"Indeed. We have seen you in action as a martial artist and we think that you possess a quality that has never been seen in the elite league. It is an important and powerful quality that can be used to exploit a key aspect of the elite league that many seem to have forgotten. Namely, the aspect that allows trainers to battle alongside their team members. The elite league was supposed to be the pinnacle of achievement for trainers. They were supposed to be able to harmoniously interact with their team during battle in such a way that they can all fight together. Instead it has turned into trainers wearing expensive battle suits yelling commands at their team while they stay on the side-line. It's sad really."

Sarachi felt a need to protest. "Not all trainers are like that."

Karen smiled ruefully. "There is the odd individual who braves the front line by riding one of his Pokémon into battle and directing the fight from there. Still, none have ever fought alongside their Pokémon."

An image started taking form in Sarachi's mind. "What is it exactly that you are saying?"

"We think that you may be the very first trainer ever to bring something to the table that has never been seen before. Your expert swordsmanship would allow you to actually fight in a battle-suit geared towards taking the offensive. We foresee that you could do some serious damage in a 7 on 7 battle. Going toe-to-toe with Pokémon if the suit is designed in a way that lets you keep up with the different types and their physical superiority."

Sarachi was silent for a while before he spoke. "You seem to have given this quite some thought."

"We have."

"You mentioned battle-suits. Now I am no experts, but aren't all battle-suits geared towards defence? To take hits and not dish them out? I can see how a suit could augment physical attributes like strength and agility, but how would you even go about tackling the question of dealing with different types of Pokémon?"

Jake grinned. "Wow, you're nearly as detaillistic and goal oriented as my sister. To be honest we have no idea. However, I am confident that with the right bright minds put together financed by a benevolent benefactor it can be done. I mean, what do Pokémon types signify other than different ways of utilizing energy and turning it into a specific form? If one could unravel where the energy comes from and how it is utilized this phenomenon should be reproducible."

"That's all well and fine," said Karen, "but there is another element we wish to test before we can even think about that stage. Is the individual we would put in said suit capable and ready?"

Sarachi's mind reeled with the possibilities. _Were they suggesting what he thought they were suggesting?_ He saw himself in a suit that augmented his agility and strength to the point that he was able to keep up with a Pokémon that had just used agility or quick attack. He saw himself moving faster than he thought possible while wielding a blade made of pure energy. The idea was outlandish and he wondered how no one had ever thought of it before. _Maybe Karen wasn't too far from the mark. Maybe people had become so used to commanding their team to battle that the idea of battling alongside of them seemed weird and bordered on insanity._ "Earth to Sarachi!" It was Jake. "Your brain still working?"

He spoke slowly. "Yes. It's just... It seems an amazing dream. But I believe your sister said something about a test?"

Karen was quick to take the floor again. "Indeed I did. In the evening after your demo there will be one more Pokémon competition along with a show. We want you to participate with Sabre in the show as surprise guests. You will battle against a couple of 'Bisharps' and maybe a couple of 'Honedges'."

"Are you guys insane?! It's not like we have a battle suit here! And even if we did, Sabre has never been in a battle before."

Suddenly Sabre jumped up from where she had been lounging. She ran to Sarachi and unsheathed her claws.

Jake spoke. "It seems to me that she thinks she can handle it."

"Well I!…" Sarachi stopped before finishing that sentence. He turned towards Sabre. "Are you sure girl? It is very likely that we are outmatched. They will have a lot of battle experience."

Sabre looked determined and responded fiercely. "Purrrr Loin!"

"Aha! There's the old fighting spirit! You should know Sarachi that Sabre was bred from a battle hardened Liepard. I myself was sorry to see her go to live a life as a companion Pokémon. But it looks like destiny has decided otherwise. And don't worry. The battles will not be to the faint. We will sell it as your surprise farewell show, an exhibition match and your debut battle on your Pokémon journey."

"All right," Sarachi said. "But won't this be a dead give-away of what your plans for the future are to anyone who might be watching?"

"Naw, I don't think people will actually believe anything of what we are about to show is the real deal. Only a few people who are in the know will actually be aware of the truth."

Sarachi thought for a few more seconds before giving his final response. "Ok, I'll do it."

Karen seemed relieved as she smiled. "Brilliant. Now as for your suit, we hope you'll consent to use one of the suits you've used in your demo's."

"But that won't bring me on par with their speed! If anything it will probably slow me down a bit."

"Don't worry, we'll tell our Pokémon to go easy on you. Besides don't you think it would be a lovely challenge?" Karen smirked.

That evening after his last demo, which turned out to be a huge hit with the public, Sarachi found himself in the catacombs of the ship's Pokémon arena. The contests had just finished their preliminary rounds and the midcontest show was about to start. Kotan had pestered him to find out the purpose of his meeting with Karen and Jack. Sarachi had merely said that he had to be at the arena to find out. Now he was waiting anxiously for the host of the show to call him forward. He had his suit on and Sabre stood beside him. He steadied his breathing. "We can do this girl; it's never too early to start practicing, right?"

"Loinnn."

"You remember our dance Sabre? We will start defensively. Once we have a feeling of their rhythm and patterns we will launch our counter attack before finishing with our trump card."

"Purrr"

After these words he fell silent and started to focus on the oncoming fight. He only mildly paid attention to the announcement of the host.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, an intermezzo to this amazing Pokémon contest. We have a special treat for you. This evening is the final evening of this voyage and on this momentous occasion you are about to witness history being made. I think most of us do not personally remember the day when the elite competition was called into being. But we sure as hell remember the impression the first recording of the match brought the world. The pinnacle of a Pokémon trainer's journey! After spending years honing his skill as a trainer he would integrate himself with his team to fight in a 7-on-7 battle with his opponent! The crowds went wild!"

However in none of the elite fights to date have you ever seen a spectacle that today's show will bring you. Ladies and gentleman it is my pleasure to introduce you to Jake and Karen Harrison; world renowned breeders and amateur Pokémon trainers and battlers. You may recognize their surname. Yes, they are descendants of the late Brock Harrison and carry his passion for breeding Pokémon and rearing them to exceptional battlers and companions."

Sarachi saw them entering the arena with their Pokémon at their side.

"But they are not going to battle each other… no. Their opponent is someone most anyone on this ship has become familiar with over the past few days. You know him as the Knight of the High Seas! The Knight of the Milotic! Sarachi Hyashi!"

Sarachi smiled behind his protective helmet as he walked forwards with Sabre at his side. His stride radiated confidence and power.

"But what you do not know is that Sarachi is on his way to start his Pokémon journey. Today's exhibition match will be his debut battle, and not content to let his only Pokémon battle alone he has decided to battle alongside her. Ladies and gentleman Sarachi … and … Sabre!"

Sarachi paid little attention to the crowd that was cheering wildly. Like always, his mind was already on the battle. While Karen and Jake stood at the trainer designated spots, Sarachi and Sabre both entered the battling area and waited for their opponents to join them. As they reached the centre their host spoke again. "This match will be a two vs two match and will last for 15 minutes. Since our knight does not have a battle suit this is not a match to the knockout."

"Trainers… are … you … ready!?"

Jake and Karen spoke simultaneously. "Bisharp, I choose you!" Sarachi and Sabre's opponents appeared in a flash of red light and took a ready stance in front of their trainers. "We are ready!"

Sarachi yelled into the microphone he had stuck to the side of his face. "We're ready!"

The crowd grew silent as the judges signalled their readiness and the host brought his microphone up again. "This is it folks! Teams … begin!"

As soon as the Bisharp started moving Sarachi realized that he would not be able to match their speed with the longsword that he had drawn. He readied himself regardless of that fact. He wanted to know how far he could push himself. "Get ready Sabre he whispered. Remember? It's just like we practiced with Tageki. If you disrupt their movements and footwork I'll catch any hits that come through."

In the meantime Jake and Karen shouted their own instructions. "Bisharp start with Night Slash!"

"Join your brother with Metal Claw!"

Sarachi steeled himself going into his battle state. _At least those are moves I can counter and block._ "Sabre, use Feint attacks and Sand attack to disrupt the first Bisharp. When the second one comes in dodge his attacks until you're back in position."

Sabre launched herself forward and came at the first Bisharp from several angles in quick succession. It started with Sand attack to disrupt the charge. And she immediately followed up with Feint attack to put the first Bisharp on the defensive. When the second Bisharp broke through the dust cloud she narrowly dodged its Metal claw and hurried back to Sarachi who started moving forward. The Bisharp was hot on her heels. Just as the Bisharp was about to overtake Sabre and hit her with Metal claw, Sarachi was there to block its attack with his longsword. The Bisharp seemed surprised. Sarachi immediately followed up with a counter attack which the Bisharp narrowly evaded. After a short moment of hesitation Bisharp pressed the attack again. However, whenever he came within striking distance of Sarachi Sabre darted forward to disrupt his footwork. Whenever he switched his attention to Sabre Sarachi was there to block his attacks and counter.

The audience cheered. They had never seen such a play of synchronicity before. But Sarachi's and Sabre's success did not last long. As soon as the second Bisharp rejoined the fight the balance shifted once again in their favour. Sabre had a hard time evading both Bisharp and Sarachi was not quick enough to block all attacks made. He and Sabre were getting hit more often. Sarachi's response was to increase his speed and urge Sabre to do the same saying, "don't worry girl. It's just a game. They are winning this round, but we are just getting warmed up."

The host who was commenting on the fight kept a careful watch on the battle giving play-by-play with as much detail as he could discern. "It looks like Sarachi and Sabre are in trouble people. Where their initial divide and conquer tactic seemed to prove effective enough to hold one Bisharp off, two seems to be too much to handle."

"He's right Sarachi! I hope you have more up your sleeve otherwise the remaining 10 minutes are not going to be very interesting"

Sarachi grunted. _Jake's right. No matter how much I push myself I can't hold off two dual wielding opponents with a longsword. I need to even the playing field._ "Sabre. On my mark create some cover." He had eyed the Bisharps attacks sharply and whenever they had finished a coordinated attack they spent a few seconds to regroup. He waited for the next opportunity and … "NOW!" Sabre rushed all around him and launched one sand attack after another. Sarachi dropped his longsword in the meantime and pulled forth his own dual blades. _This ought to help some._

Karen yelled some new commands. "Take some distance Bisharp! Let them reveal themselves before renewing your attack."

When they emerged from the smokescreen the crowd held its breath. "There they are! Attack Bisharp. Use night Slash!"

Jake had pretty much the same idea. "Bisharp resume your attacks with metal claw!"

"This is it girl, we give them two rounds and then we start our dance."

This time the playing field seemed once again evenly matched. As the suit he was wearing indicated the hits the Bisharp scored the crowd noticed that the number of attacks that got through had reduced significantly. In the meantime Sarachi and Sabre were gathering their energy while moving faster and faster as they were getting into the flow of their own special dance.

"Wow folks, I don't believe it! It looks like our knight and his little partner are keeping the Bisharp off. Could one extra sword mean the difference? And there are only three minutes left on the clock."

"Bisharp! I think they are ready! Increase your speed and start alternating your Night slash with dual chops!"

 _Is Karen nuts?! How fast does she think we can go? Well, if they want a show they're about to get it._ "Sabre?! We start now! Maximum speed Fang Claw Blade Hurricane!" They had practiced much when they had privacy. At first they had a bit of trouble coordinating Sarachi's dual blades with Sabre's movements, but after training relentlessly they got it. And now in front of an audience that seemed absolutely stunned they launched their trump card. Sarachi wove a dome of steel around them as he rushed one of the Bisharp. His blades were parried in that first contact, but Sabre who had rushed alongside of him had started her speedy run along his body to his stretched arms. She launched herself at the startled Bisharp and scored a solid hit on him before Sarachi danced away again refocussing his attention in time to meet the attack of the other Bisharp. The second meeting went much as the first. Their aggressive offense left the Bisharp no room to get through and form their own attack and as most of the people in the audience looked on slack jawed the host never ceased his commentary run for a second.

"This is unbelievable! Not only is Sarachi disrupting the Bisharp's attack, he is forcing openings for his own hits to get through. But how long can he keep this impressive feat going?! Are his energy reserves high enough to keep his focus? In the meantime our countdown towards the end of the fight has come. 60, 59, 58, …"

Karen and Jake seemed impressed as well. "Wow." Karen mouthed as she looked at the spectacle with her eyes nearly popping out of her skull. "Unbelievable."

"You said it sis. Their timing and coordination is flawless. Imagine that bolstered with a combat suit."

"14, 13, 12, now count with me folks. 10, 9, 8, 7." The whole arena joined in.

"4, 3, 2, 1!"

"And match!"

Sarachi's vision got a bit hazy as he struggled to get oxygen into his lungs. He went down on one knee holding his blades to the side as Sabre took position in front of him. She still seemed to have some energy left. The sound of the crowd barely reached him as he breathed heavily and tried his best not to collapse.

"Great battle Bisharp! Return!"

"You too Bisharp! Return!"

Karen and Jake walked into the battle area to join Sarachi. Just as they reached him, he had managed to catch his breath and stood up while taking off his helmet. Jake looked overjoyed while Karen's expression seemed to switch between disbelief, awe and joy. Sarachi spoke softly. "Well, are you satisfied?"

Jake laughed. "Do you hear that Ka? Satisfied! Sarachi you have astounded the entire audience. Me and my sister included. I think you have proven that a trainer battling alongside his partner in perfect harmony is a force to be reckoned with."

Sarachi smiled at this. "Well Sabre and I enjoyed it, but truth be told, without an augmented battle-suit I would not be able to last beyond these 15 minutes. I'm all out of energy. Not that she is. Look at her!" Sabre was leaping in front of him, pouncing on imaginary foes.

At that moment the commenter began to speak again. "Remarkable. In this fifteen minute show Sarachi and Sabre have displayed unbelievable skill. I can't imagine how much effort it takes to choreograph a fight sequence like that. Amazing! I think we can all agree that these two have a bright future ahead of them. Give them a hand!"

As the crowd gave them a standing ovation Sarachi saluted them before collecting his longsword and exiting the arena with Karen and Jake on his heels and the voice of the commenter chasing after them. "Astounding! Simply astounding! Now before we continue with the rest of the contest I have a short message from the captain of the Milotic. It seems there are some unforeseen changes in the weather. Late in the night we are expecting to sail into a storm. Now he has assured me that by navigating carefully we will mainly cut through its tail as it progresses further out to sea and away from the coastline of the Johto region. We will therefor stay on schedule and he has stated quite firmly that the ship will not be in any danger. However, he advises all passengers to remain in their cabin from midnight till morning. Ok! Now let's commence with the finale of the competition!"

The sky in front of them started darkening and the wind picked up as Sarachi marched straight to the front of the ship where the stairs and passage were located that led to the dojo near his room. Once there he started taking off the suit saying, "So it was just a marvellous choreography, huh?"

Karen had expected the reaction. "As far as the crowd is concerned, yes. No one needs to know the extent of your abilities yet or what that might mean for the future of elite battling."

"You could have told me the commenter would weave a tale like that. I dislike being taken for a ride, Karen."

"I guess we could have. But we really wanted you to give it all you got without thinking about what the people might think if. We didn't want you to hold back to make it look like a choreography."

Sarachi took a deep breath and exhaled. "Fair enough. Now that you have seen what I am capable of with Sabre without a battle-suit, what steps do you plan to take?"

Jake responded enthusiastically. "Well, we're sure sir Boleyn is now more than resolved to help you once you have reached the elite league. We can only imagine what you would be able to achieve with a strong team alongside you and Sabre, and the right technology of course."

"I surmised as much, but that doesn't tell me anything about your specific plans."

"We simply want you to go through the different leagues while training a strong team. In the meantime my sister and I will browse our contacts to see if we can spark the interest of enough bright minds, who are discreet, to look into levelling the playing field between you and Pokémon."

Suddenly the door burst open and a wild eyed Kotan rushed in. "I don't care what that commenter said Sarachi! There was ...no way …, no way, that that was a choreo. There was not nearly enough time between your talk of this afternoon and the show to pull off something of the magnitude of what I have seen. No way! This entire trip would probably not have been enough. What the hell … was that!"

Karen sighed. "I guess it was too much to hope for that we would be able to fool a trained eye. I suppose we can't convince you to keep this to yourself?"

"If … I mean … maybe …what?" Kotan was struggling to find his words.

"We kinda want to keep this on the down-low buddy. I told you I had plans, right? Well I plan on becoming the best trainer in the elite league. But I have a ways to go before I reach that stage of my journey. It would suck if my future competition got wind of my skills way before I am ready to face them."

"That makes sense, I guess. Don't worry. I'll keep it to myself. But still, that fight may have been filmed and videos will leak regardless."

Karen had a solution on hand. "If we control the narrative, better yet, if we are ahead of the stream we can paint the story in our light. Speaking of … I think Jake and I had better have a talk with Sasha and Dominic." They left the dojo leaving Sarachi and Kotan alone.

Kotan still looked at Sarachi as if he had just seen a score of legendary Pokémon. "Whoa. I guess you really are the real deal. You could actually go all the way."

Sarachi smiled. "That's the plan."

"No wonder you are willing to let me take your place here on the boat. With your skillset… I wish you all the best Sarachi. Just make sure you have good people watch your back. I've heard stories about that elite league that make my skin crawl."

"You too huh? Don't worry. I'm not planning to do it all on my own. But I think I'm going to wander around the ship a bit now. You know say goodbye and all that. I've had a great time here and I must say I may be a bit sad when I leave tomorrow. I'm not one for big goodbyes, so I'd like to do that beforehand when most of the passengers are still entertained."

"Sure! So I guess this is goodbye now?"

"Pretty much so, Kotan. Enjoy training these snobs for as long as you want buddy. Keep practicing the western techniques and who knows … maybe someday we can re-join you and awe the crowd once more."

"That would be cool." They awkwardly bro hugged and then went their own way. Kotan went towards the arena and Sarachi walked towards the stern of the ship with Sabre on his heels.

Sarachi spent the rest of the day saying goodbye to all his favourite spots of the ship. They walked passed the wellness centre, the communal staff areas and various cafés where they had enjoyed tea and the occasional drink while listening to live music. They said their mental goodbyes and when they were done, they left the area belowdecks. They went to their favourite spot on board. It was a secluded place, off-limits to passengers, and located at the highest level of the ships stern. They had a quick detour to pick up some food at his favourite topside restaurant. When they reached their spot they sat down and as they ate their last meal on board of the ship they enjoyed the fresh ocean breeze. Wingul and Pelipper circled the ship and in the wake of the boat they saw a pod of Wailords and Wailmers. They also discerned the occasional Sharpedo, Seadra and Horsea and even an Octillery. They heartily enjoyed their peace. As Sarachi watched how the sky changed its colours from a clear blue to a breath-taking swirl of pink, orange and indigo hues, he silently wished he had discovered the spot sooner. It would have given him an often much needed reprieve from the crowds. "Oh well, at least we got to enjoy it these past few days. Right Sabre? I can't believe this part of our journey will soon be over. It almost feels like we've been doing this for months when it has been less than half a month."

"Purrr!"

"Soon we will meet with Tageki and afterwards we need to pick a region to start our journey. I'm thinking either Kanto or Johto. They are relatively cheap and close to home. At some point I would love to visit some of the regions that are further away too. Maybe Sinnoh, Kalos or Unova. The world is such a big place Sabre and there are so many strong Pokémon out there. We need to choose our team mates with care. We have to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses and round out with typings in such a way that we should be able to switch around minimally yet be able to tackle any kind of opponent we might face."

As Sarachi was contemplating the near future night was falling. The stars were coming out about an hour after the sun dipped into the sea. Sabre crawled on top of his lap as they stared out over the ocean in the direction they had come from.

"So this is where you chose to hide these last past days."

Startled Sarachi turned around. Sabre seemed relaxed. When he saw Kayleigh he relaxed. "This area is off-limits to passengers Kayleigh."

She approached him and sat down being careful to leave some space between them. "Not to the daughter of the man who owns the company that owns this ship." She smiled. "Do you know that Rose and the other girls have been actively looking for you these past few days? They have been scoping out the dojo's believing you had been training for the demo's, especially after that last performance. Somehow they've become convinced that there is a secret dojo on board where the elusive knight trains in secret."

Sarachi chuckled slightly as he imagined himself in some top-secret room doing flow drills. "Guess my hideout served me well. How did you find me anyway?"

"Tonight Kotan suddenly remembered that you had asked one of the deckhands where you could find some peace and privacy on board."

Sarachi rolled with his eyes. "That meddler," he muttered.

"He seemed to think that you wanted to say goodbye as you were leaving the ship tomorrow."

"He had no right to butt in. Things could have stayed as they were, uncomplicated."

"You weren't planning on saying goodbye."

"I said my goodbye during the final shows today and afterwards."

"I don't mean saluting and wandering around the ship, you numpty. Arceus, what is wrong with you?! You hardly talk with people that admire you for your skill. You don't interact with people that actually want to get to know you because they want to see if you're a real person beneath that whole silent warrior thing you've got going on. Quite frankly I think I wasted my time coming here. Maybe … maybe I should just go."

Sarachi was surprised by her outburst. "Why did you come then? To find out if I am in fact human?" He sighed. "Want to know the truth Kayleigh?"

She was already starting to get up, but something in his tone made her sit back down. "What do you mean?"

"I don't hate people you know; I just don't like all the attention. If we had been somewhere else where people didn't run up to me at rounding every corner I think I would have really enjoyed getting to know you and the others. Also, I'm not really that comfortable being …"

"Being?" Kayleigh urged.

"Being close to … I mean getting close to you girls when I'm working on this ship."

"So if we weren't on this ship you would hang out with us?"

"I think so, yes."

"You … think so? I don't believe it. Is the warrior actually timid under female attention?"

Sarachi saw the laughter in her eyes. Somehow it annoyed him. He turned away. "Go on, laugh! Go to your friends and laugh about me!"

Suddenly she turned serious. "Please look at me Sarachi." He did. "Do you think I'm that kind of girl?"

He looked her in the eyes. "I hoped you weren't. So you really came here to say goodbye?"

"And I wanted to get to know you just a bit better before you left. Yesterday I overheard my dad talking with those breeders, Karen and Jake. He is thinking about sponsoring you for the elite league. If you're going on a journey I might not see you for a long while."

Sarachi relaxed. "Well we've got until around ten minutes to midnight to talk if you want to. Afterwards I think we will need to find shelter."

They spent the rest of the time simply enjoying each other's company as they swapped questions, answers and stories. Without noticing it they had gotten closer to one another. The temperature had dropped significantly in the meantime. Kayleigh shivered. Sarachi moved closer and awkwardly put an arm around her shoulder. Kayleigh moved closer. All of a sudden Sarachi's throat was dry and his breathing lost its steady rhythm.

"Hmmm, this is nice," Kayleigh said. "I wish there was not going to be storm, then we could stay here a while longer." The occasional raindrops had started to announce an oncoming downpour.

"Well as pleasant as this is, maybe we should start moving towards shelter." He looked at Kayleigh's face so close to his own.

Phwaap! A loud horn shocked them out of their wits. The topside megaphones blared shortly before the alarm gave way to a voice. "Dear passengers the storm has developed differently than anticipated by the weather forecast. We urge you to go to your cabin promptly. We will be in the middle of the storm in less than 10 minutes. All passengers on deck, please get below deck before making your way to your cabin in an orderly fashion."

Sarachi and Kayleigh looked at each other. Both were alarmed and slightly shocked. Then they started moving. They got up and hastened towards the ladder that would bring them to the main deck. From there they made their way belowdecks. Sabre was riding Sarachi's shoulder.

Meanwhile in the navigation room the captain was chewing out the navigation team, while a team of meteorologists and other crew members stood by. "You idiots! You're telling me that we have been sailing of course for Arceus knows how long?! And on top of that we are inevitably heading towards the fiercest storm this sea has seen for some time? How could this have happened!"

"We don't know sir. We were sailing on instruments. The only explanation that seems plausible is sabotage of those instruments. But only crew members have access to those."

"Save the excuses! How bad is the situation? How fast is the storm approaching?" The captain addressed the meteorologists.

"According to reports the storm is approaching with a speed of 40 knots. It will be here in an hour and a half. The bad news is that it is merely the precursor of the real storm that blows in its wake."

"Are we talking about an evacuation situation?"

"That would be our advice. If we can get the passengers and the entire crew to the motorized lifeboats within half an hour…"

"… then we can get to calmer waters in the remainder of the time we have until the real storm blows." One of the prominent officers finished the sentence.

"And you are sure that we will be well out of range?"

"Well, taking into account the direction and magnitude of the storm it will remain in this area. The meteorologists drew an area on the map. The lifeboats should be able to get out of that critical region in time. We might feel the effects of the storm, but these should not be fatal to us."

The captain looked slightly relieved. "Ok, then our task is clear. Officers, get the crew ready! I will personally inform the passengers"

"Dear passengers. The severity of the storm has proven to be significantly higher than initial prognoses led us to believe. I urge you not to worry. To ensure everyone's safety we will evacuate the ship. Take only the utmost critical belongings with you. In your cabin your evacuation route is marked on the map that is pinned to the door. Take this with you and proceed to your designated evacuation route. Our crew will stand by to guide you to your evacuation vessel."

Kayleigh looked alarmed. "My father will be worried sick!"

"Go! Send him a message that you're on your way and go. I enjoyed tonight Kayleigh." He hesitated. "Maybe … maybe we could meet up after we reach dry land?" _Damn, why couldn't I make that sound more confident?_

"I'd like that. I'll find you when we get back to land." She took out her phone. She was about to send a message when, looking at the screen, a look of horror came to her face. "Those idiots!" she gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"When Rose, Viviene and the other girls heard you would leave tomorrow they wanted to throw a surprise party for you in one of the dojo's. You know the one closest to your cabin."

"You guys know where my cabin is?!"

"Not the issue here! They are stuck in the dojo. The room has gone on lockdown for some reason."

"I could have told them that would happen."

"Well, we can't leave them stuck there!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll get them out on my way to my cabin and evacuation. You just get to your father."

She turned and started walking hurriedly while she typed a message to her father. Sarachi turned and walked in the opposite direction towards the dojo, passing people that were already heading towards their evacuation route. Most of them had a backpack or rucksack that probably held their bare necessities. When Sarachi was getting close the sea was already getting noticeably rougher. Sabre had to dig in her claws to avoid being thrown from her perch and Sarachi was occasionally thrown into the walls. He hurried to the personnel entrance of the dojo while people kept rushing past. Once there he took out his card key and opened the door.

He had barely stepped across the threshold before a slim form with red her slammed into him. "Thank Arceus! Sarachi, we were so scared that we wouldn't be able to get out." Rose's face displayed tracks of the tears that had messed up her makeup. The other girls weren't doing much better.

"Maybe you shouldn't have put so much effort into stalking me." Sarachi felt bad as soon as he said it. The girls looked close to begin crying again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. That was mean. In fact I'm touched that you wanted to send me off with a party. But come on, the door is open now, get going."

"But Patrick and his little brother are still in the gym!" Viviene exclaimed.

"Wait, what?!"

Samantha explained. "Well, he had gotten wind that we were planning a surprise party for you and threatened to expose us if we didn't allow him to come along with his little brother who pretty much worships you."

"We couldn't say no to his little brother," Rose added.

"But why are they in the gym?"

"Patrick got bored waiting and wanted to work out. Somehow the weights fell and trapped him and his brother inside."

"Of course," Sarachi mumbled. Out loud he said. "Don't worry about it! You guys go now. I'll help Patrick and his brother."

The girls left and Sarachi hurried to the Gym which was connected to the dojo. As he walked through the doors he took in the situation in an instant. A small boy was crying hysterically as he unsuccessfully tried to lift a fallen bench with weights on top off Patrick, the young man he had admonished in his first clinic. Patrick was straining as well and the weights moved slightly, but not enough for him to get out from underneath. The bench settled downwards again. He was clearly unable to reach the weights to get them off individually.

"Allright kid, step aside. Your big brother and I will make short work of these weights."

The boy stepped aside and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Finally the hero arrives," Patrick sneered. The look in his eyes however did not display anger. "I'm glad you're here though. None of those ladies had the upper body strength to get these damn things off me."

Sarachi smirked. "Let's get to it, then." He knelt, grabbed hold of the crate and braced his legs. "Ok, I'm ready. You?"

"Yesterday show off."

"Ok. On three."

They counted together. "One … two … three!"

The bench slowly moved upwards again. Sarachi gave it his all and together they managed to shift it enough for Patrick to quickly slide out from underneath the death trap. As soon as he was clear Sarachi let go breathing heavily.

"Thank you, hero." Suddenly Sarachi felt a slight sting in his neck. He slowly turned around. Somehow his limbs were not responding as readily to the commands his brain was sending his nerves. When he had finally turned he saw Patrick looking at him with anger in his eyes and a gun in his left hand pointed at him. At his side his little brother had disappeared. In his place stood a pink jelly-like creature.

 _A ditto. What is going on_? He tried to talk, but found himself unable to as his legs gave way beneath him. Patrick approached him and bowed to look him in the eyes. "You may be wondering what is happening to your body right now and why. I've shot you with a tranquilizer dart. It contained a concoction of stun spore and spore and a few chemicals... Right now your muscles are giving up on you and soon you will drift off." He saw the alarmed look in Sarachi's eyes. "Your organs won't stop though, don't worry. Although I guess with the oncoming storm you still have reason to worry." He laughed evilly. "As for why… I'll keep that to myself. But for future reference, if by some miracle you survive this, you would do well to remember … to never … piss off … an heir of the O'Sullivan's." He walked towards the door and turned around one last time. "Goodbye hero." And with a smirk he was gone.

Sarachi's eyes started drooping. _No! It can't end this way. I need to fight this! I … need …_ The final thing he saw before blacking out was the concerned look in Sabre's eyes. Then darkness claimed him.

*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*


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